Windy coastal perennial grassland terraces and bluffs
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
Select a transition or restoration pathway
- Transition T1 More details
- Transition T2 More details
- Restoration pathway R1 More details
- Transition T3 More details
- Restoration pathway R2 More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The dynamics described below are general to the level that the site concept has been developed for provisional ecological site concept identification and further investigation purposes only. It is meant to give a general overview of the ecological dynamics of the system and should not be viewed as a model for a specific ecological site level management. It is supported by the current available literature that was reviewed for a general understanding of the system and basic understanding of the abiotic and biotic drivers. Further investigations and soil-site data collection and analysis should be conducted before specific land management can be applied at the ecological site specific scale. This STM only serves to explain the general ecology and dynamics.
Reference State (State 1) – This reference state includes a patchwork of coastal prairie dominated and coastal scrub dominated shrublands. These communities are all varied in size and extent, depending on the width of coastline available, elevation and slope, the geologic and soil substrates, and dynamics of disturbance. This variability requires further site investigation and field data collection to refine these communities to the appropriate ecological site scale for more specific site characteristics for each of these finer-scaled differences that have impacts on the land management decision-making process. Where the coastal prairie is more dominant may be primarily due to the soil texture and fertility of the upper rooting zone of the soil. In soils that have finer soil textures and are deeper to a restrictive horizon or skeletal materials they will provide better growing conditions and water-holding capacity for the fibrous roots of the herbaceous species to compete and dominate over the more tap-rooted scrub species that can take advantage of deeper water that goes farther down in the soil profile than most herbaceous roots can grow. Infrequent fires and a general reduction in grazing activities likely would have assisted in allowing the coastal scrub species to encroach into the prairies and dominate the overstory structure.
Submodel
Description
This state represents the community phases that have been invaded by non-native species. This ESG is highly susceptible to non-natives and invasives, especially given the proximity and pressures from human use in this LRU. Non-natives and invasives are able to capitalize quickly on available resources much better than the native species can, especially during years that are hotter and drier than average. This state is currently only one community phase, representing all the different types of communities from the reference state and in the future more information and research should be done to determine more specific dynamics in this state that are more heavily related to the different community expressions within this state and the dynamics amongst them all.
Submodel
Description
This state represents the intensive land uses that have significantly altered this ESG in a myriad of ways including removal of topsoil, fertilizer additions and other topsoil manipulations, hydrologic alterations that remove native soil fauna, among many other things and is typically due to urban developments, recreational activities, and intensive agriculture. More information about this state is needed to flesh out the various impacts these types of land uses/alterations have had on the ecological site in order to better understand how to manage these areas or potentially attempt restoration of these areas where possible.
Submodel
Mechanism
This transition occurs when the seed source is introduced to the ecological site. This ecological site is not highly resistant to outside pressures like non-native and/or invasive species. The threshold is crossed when feedback mechanisms shift from natural dynamics to feedback mechanisms that cater to the more competitive non-native and/or invasive species.
Mechanism
This transition is caused by significant human alterations that remove essential topsoil horizons, alter hydrologic functions, and/or add significant inputs that change soil chemistry and soil properties for housing developments, urban infrastructures or intensive cropping systems and force this ecological site over a threshold and change the function and structure of this site in extensive ways.
Mechanism
This restoration pathway occurs through the control of non-native and/or invasive species that can potentially restore this ecological site to its reference state. It is more likely that the non-natives and invasives are minimized and controlled, but complete removal may not be possible without significant time and money inputs and repeated treatments.
Mechanism
This transition is caused by significant human alterations that remove essential topsoil horizons, alter hydrologic functions, and/or add significant inputs that change soil chemistry and soil properties for housing developments, urban infrastructures or intensive cropping systems and force this ecological site over a threshold and change the function and structure of this site in extensive ways.
Mechanism
This restoration pathway occurs only when significant time and money inputs are focused on areas that have not been permanently altered by urban developments. This restoration pathway may be more likely than R1, since most of these very altered landscapes will be more hospitable to non-native and invasive species than to the native species that are more particular and require specific growing conditions that may not be replicable due to the alterations to the site that had occurred.
Model keys
Briefcase
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Ecological site groups
Major Land Resource Areas
The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.