Classification of the Plant Communities of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho
Rust SK and Wolken P. 2008. Classification of the Plant Communities of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/UCBN/NRTR—2008/096. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) of the Upper Columbia Basin Network (UCBN) is working in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey and the NPS Vegetation Mapping Program to complete vegetation maps for each of the national park units in the network. The NPS vegetation mapping protocol consists of the following: preliminary collection and review of existing information; field data collection, management and analysis; photo-interpretation and mapping; map validation; and accuracy assessment. Work on the vegetation map for Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (CRMO) was initiated in May 2006. The objective of this document is to report on the field data analysis phase and provide a classification of the vegetation and a dichotomous key to the classification of plant communities. The area encompasses sparse, vegetated lava and cinder cones; sagebrush steppe; grasslands; wetlands; and montane shrublands, woodlands, and forest. Initial plant community groups were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. Plant community groups were successively partitioned using indicator species analysis and multi-response permutation procedures. Decisions regarding the identification of plant associations within the data were informed by cross-walking candidate community groupings to the National Vegetation Classification. Classification and regression tree analysis was employed in the development of dichotomous keys and the evaluation of cluster analysis results. Ninety-three plant communities are identified as occurring within the study area. Nearly 50% of the associations identified within the Monument and Preserve are currently listed in the National Vegetation Classification, and the remaining associations are not recognized or have not been previously described (these should be considered for inclusion in the National Vegetation Classification).
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Rust, Steven; Wolken, Paige
- Date of Issue
- 2008-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CRMO , NRSS , UCBN
- Keywords
- Classification, cluster analysis, Dichotomous key, Distribution (Biodiversity), Forest, Grassland, Kipuka, Mapping, Plant Community, Presence (Biodiversity), savannah, shrubland, shrub-steppe, Taxa Links To References, Vegetation, Vegetation Inventory, Wetland, Woodland