Shoreline Vegetation of the Arctic Alaska coast

• Main Author: Ronald J. Taylor
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1981
• Subjects: Arctic; Gravier; Mer de Beaufort; Arctique*; Chukchi; Mer des Tchouktches; Puccinellia phryganodes; Tchouktche*; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.467.5893; http://arctic.synergiesprairies.ca/arctic/index.php/arctic/article/viewFile/2501/2478/

ABSTRACT. The vegetation of shoreline habitats was examined and systematically sampled at 15 locations along the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of arctic Alaska. In tidal salt marsh habitats, sampled at eight locations, three plant communities are described: Puccinellia phryganodes, at the seaward limit of vascular plant growth; Carex subspathacedP. phryganodes, at midtidal levels; and Carex rumenskiK. subsparhacea, at the upper limits of the tidal zone. Duponria fisheri was the’major dominant in the upper storm zone above the tidal communities. Plant communities of raised beaches, sampled at four locations, were floristically variable, but Salix species and Elymus arenarius consistently had high prominence values. Elymus arenarius dominated the five gravelly beach habitats sampled. Coastal dunes were sampled at two locations and again Salix and Elymus were the most important plant genera. Finally, four eroding coastal bluffs were examined and abundance values were assigned to representative plant species. RfiSUMfi. La vdgktation d’habitats littoraux a et6 Ctudiee et tchantillonnde de façn systtmatique à quinze endroits sur les rivages de la mer des Tchouktches et de la mer de Beaufort en Alaska arctique. Concernant les habitats de la zone des marais salants soumis aux marees, tchantillonnes B huit endroits, trois associations vegttales sont decrites: Puccinellia phryganodes, B la limite de croissance vers le large des plantes vasculaires; Carex subspathacedP. phryganodes, dans la zone du niveau moyen des marees; et Carex ramenskii/C. subspathacea, aux limites supdrieures de la zone intertidale. Duponria fisheri prkdomine dans la zone des markes de tempête au-dessus des associations vdgdtales affectees par la marke. La flore des plages soulevbes, echantillonn6e B quatre endroits, est varite mais les esptces du genre Salk et Elymus arenarius prkdominent de façon constante. Elymus arenarius domine les cinq habitats 6chantillonnes sur des plages de gravier. Salk