Arctic-alpine tundra vegetation of the Arrigetch Creek valley, Brooks Range, Alaska

Cooper, David

(Adapted from author's abstract.) A comprehensive floristic survey was done in the Arrigetch Creek valley area and the data collected on floristic classification, numerical classification, and ordination was integrated. Forty-nine new lower syntaxa are described, and seven alliances and three orders are provisionally described. A full description of these higher syntaxa will have to await more data from other portions of Alaska. It is argued that all new alliances and orders and probably classes are needed for Alaska because many diagnostic taxa have Beringian and North American affinities. Highly disturbed soils and open plant communities are maintained by active mass wasting; species not tolerant of this regime are limited to small stable outcrops. Dryas octopetala octopetala is a dominant taxon in syntaxa that are classified into several alliances and orders; Dryas octopetala octopetala-dominated communities appear to be the climax or zonal ecosystem type at present. Communities dominated by arctic steppe indicators such as Artemisia alaskana occur in the warmest and most xeric habitats, which are found at the base of limestone bluffs.

Arctic-alpine tundra vegetation of the Arrigetch Creek valley, Brooks Range, Alaska

Series