Grasses

BLM Photo / Bob Wick

Although individual grasses sprout almost anywhere there is soil, grasses at Craters of the Moon are most commonly found as the understory (plants that grow beneath) of sagebrush steppe. Grasses play an important role in the ecosystem by stabilizing soil, helping hold moisture, and providing forage for wildlife.

Most grasses fit into two groups: bunch or sod-forming. With the exception of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an annual European sod-forming grass accidentally introduced to the United States in the 1800s, Craters has almost exclusively native bunch grasses. Bunch grasses are classic desert plants that occur in scattered clumps. This type of growth pattern reduces competition for the limited soil nutrients and water available here. The principal grasses found at Craters include bluebunch wheatgrass (Elymus spicatus), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), needle grasses (Stipa spp.), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), and Great Basin wildrye (Elymus cinereus). These grasses are a vital part of a sagebrush steppe ecosystem that provides habitat for a variety of mammals and birds. Native grasses are a key component of successful rangeland fire rehabilitation, and in healthy communities they can provide resistance to invasive weeds.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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