Ohio subset of Plant Communities of the Midwest ... - NatureServe

Cliffs, Talus, Buttes and Badlands: Eastern Dry Alkaline Cliffs
Limestone - Dolostone Midwest Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Limestone - Dolostone Midwest Dry Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Midwest Dry Limestone - Dolostone Cliff
CEGL002291
DESCRIPTION: Vegetation is restricted to shelves, cracks and crevices in the rock, generally averaging less than
20%, and typically consisting of vines and ferns. In the Ozarks and Interior Plateau region, ferns include Cheilanthes
feei, Argyrochosma dealbata (= Notholaena dealbata), Pellaea atropurpurea, and Pellaea glabella. Herbaceous forbs
and graminoids include Aquilegia canadensis, Hedyotis nigricans (= Houstonia nigricans), Mentzelia oligosperma,
Muhlenbergia cuspidata, Sedum pulchellum, and Solidago rugosa ssp. aspera (= Solidago drummondii). Lichens
include Dermatocarpon lachneum, Lecanora muralis and Psora russellii. In Ohio, stands contain the ferns Pellaea
atropurpurea and Pellaea glabella, and the forbs Aquilegia canadensis, Arabis laevigata, Heuchera americana,
Hydrangea arborescens, and Sedum ternatum. Scattered woody plants across the range include Celastrus
scandens, Juniperus virginiana, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Physocarpus opulifolius, Quercus prinus (southward),
and Toxicodendron radicans (= Rhus radicans), and farther north, Taxus canadensis, Thuja occidentalis, and Tsuga
canadensis (Curtis 1959, Nelson 1985, MNNHP 1993, Anderson 1996).
Stands occur as steep to vertical rock exposures of limestone bedrock. Aspect is variable, but stands are best
developed on south- and west-facing slopes. Soils are either absent or, along ledges and shelves, very shallow. The
cliffs drain very rapidly, and can become very dry in summer (Nelson 1985).
Natural disturbances include drought stress, wind and storm damage, and disturbances from cliff-dwelling animals,
particularly in the crevices, ledges and rock shelters (Nelson 1985).
COMMENTS: 2, MCS. Definitions of cliff types remain problematic. A minimum height of 3 m may be practical. Curtis
(1959) in Wisconsin suggested that substrate was of secondary importance compared to moisture (shading vs. open)
in determining floristic patterns. Furthermore some cliffs are a combination of layers of sandstone, shale and
limestone or dolostone, making classification problematic. The combination of moisture and substrate is retained
here, but a more systematic rangewide comparison of cliff floras is needed. Tim Nigh (pers. comm. 1996) has
suggested that the Missouri type could be named "Aquilegia canadensis - Solidago rugosa ssp. aspera (= Solidago
drummondii) - Pellaea atropurpurea Cliff." Ozark, southern Illinois and Indiana cliffs may be better placed into a
Southeastern/Interior Low Plateau type, separate from an upper Midwest type. Limestone cliffs along the Niagara
Escarpment in central Ontario/Bruce Peninsula may be different from those in southern Ontario (Wasyl Bakowsky
pers. comm. 1998) and from other Great Lakes Limestone cliffs. A series of studies in Ontario's cliffs have led to
surprising biological discoveries, including a rich snail fauna, unusual cyanobacteria, and old growth Thuja
occidentalis stands on the cliffs (Larson and Kelly 1991, Larson, Matthes and Kelly 1999, Larson et al. 1999). Chalk
breaks in west-central Kansas along the Smoky Hill River and associated terrain are cliff-like and probably need to be
separated from the eastern cliffs (Lauver pers. comm. 1998).
CONSERVATION RANK: G4G5. In Missouri many sites have been quarried (M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999). This issue
should be examined range-wide. Other sites lack adequate buffers above and below the cliffs. Finally, rock-climbing
can be disruptive to vegetation (Larson et al. 1999).
DISTRIBUTION: This limestone/dolostone cliff community type is found throughout the midwestern United States and
adjacent Canada, from Ohio and Ontario, west to Minnesota, south to Kansas, and possibly Arkansas, and east to
Indiana.
USFS ECOREGIONS: 212Jn:CCC, 222Ac:CCC, 222Ad:CCC, 222Ae:CCC, 222Af:CCC, 222Ag:CCC, 222Ah:CCC, 222Ak:CCC,
222Am:CCC, 222Ap:CCC, 222Aq:CCC, 222Df:CCC, 222Di:CCP, 222Ek:CCC, 222Fd:CCC, 222Fe:CCC, 222Hc:CCC,
222Hf:CCP, 222Lc:CCC, 222Lf:CCC, 222Md:CCC, 251Ce:CCC
CONSERVATION REGIONS: 36:C, 37:C, 38:C, 44:C, 45:C, 46:C, 48:C
STATES: IA IL IN KS MI MN MO OH PROVINCES: ON
MIDWEST HERITAGE SYNONYMY: IL
limestone cliff community; dolomite cliff community I
IN limestone cliff +
MI dry non-acid cliff +
MN dry cliff (southeast section) +
MO dry limestone/dolomite cliff =
OH calcareous cliff community +
OTHER SYNONYMY: Exposed Rock Cliffs (Curtis 1959) B, Cliff Communities (Anderson 1996) B
USNVC HIERARCHY: OPEN CLIFF SPARSE VEGETATION ALLIANCE (VII.A.1.N.a)
PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE MIDWEST – 2001. APPENDIX: ASSOCIATION DESCRIPTIONS
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