|
|
FEIS Home Page |
 |
|
|
Markku Savela @ www.funet.fi |
Alpine milkvetch has widespread circumpolar distribution in the arctic and subarctic regions [39].
Astragalus a. var. alpinus is found across North America, from Alaska to Newfoundland south to Nevada, New Mexico, and South Dakota. It occurs rarely in Minnesota and Wisconsin [2,6,14,15,16,19,21,23,24,26,31,53,54]. Astragalus a. var. alpinus is also found in Eurasia [24,31,54].
Astragalus a. var. brunetianus is found only in Quebec and Newfoundland south to Nova Scotia and Maine. It historically occurred in Vermont and New Hampshire as well [23,42] but has been extirpated [23]. Plants Database provides a distributional map of alpine milkvetch and its infrataxa.Alpine milkvetch is a native, perennial forb with a matted growth habit [2,6,7,19,21,23,24,31,39,54].
The following botanical characteristics describe A. a. var. alpinus; comprehensive descriptions of A. a. var. brunetianus were not found in the literature available as of 2007. Alpine milkvetch has an initial taproot [2], with stems arising singly or a few together from a subterranean caudex [54] and from slender, widely creeping and adventitiously rooting subterranean rhizomes [2,6,19,26]. Aerial stems are decumbent to ascending and reach 0.5 to 12 inches (1-30 cm) long [2,6,26,31,54]. Alpine milkvetch's ovate leaves are 1 to 6 inches (3-15 cm) long, with 5 to 26 leaflets 4 to 20 mm long and 2 to 10 mm wide [2,26,31,54]. Alpine milkvetch has a spreading, raceme inflorescence with 5 to 30 flowers that are 9 to12 mm long [26,54]. Seeds are borne in pendulous pods 7 to 17 mm long and 2.5 to 4 mm wide [2,6,26,31,54].The nitrogen-fixing root nodules of alpine milkvetch [34,39] are 4 to 5 mm long [34]. Alpine milkvetch is able to fix nitrogen at soil temperatures down to 32 oF (0 oC), with maximum nitrogen fixation occurring at soil temperatures from 59 to 77 oF (15-25 oC) [39]. Treu and others [49] found no mycorrhizae associated with alpine milkvetch.
Alpine milkvetch is insect pollinated [46]. The light seeds are dispersed by wind and water [7,12] and may stay afloat for 3 to 13 days [12].
Site Characteristics: Astragalus a. var. alpinus is generally an alpine to subalpine plant [23], found from sea level to 6,600 feet (2,000 m) in Alaska and 11,200 feet (3,400 m) in the Intermountain West [2,21,24,31,54]. Alpine milkvetch is commonly found near alpine lakes and creeks [6,7,11,19,20,40,41,53], in cool, moist woodlands and mountain meadows [2,6,21,24,26,31,53,54], and on harsh arctic sites including tundra and sites exposed to wind and cold [26,40,41]. It is frequently found on excessively drained soils [38], for example, scree slopes [21], river alluvium [5], and gravel bars [7]. Parent materials are commonly calcareous [1,38] or siliceous [38].
Astragalus a. var. brunetianus is primarily a wetland plant [23] and is commonly found on limy river beaches [42].
Successional Status: Alpine milkvetch is an early seral colonizer [5,7,13]. It may be an important pioneer species on mechanically disturbed areas (e.g., old roads, abandoned gravel pads) in arctic tundra [4,13,25,32]. Alpine milkvetch is also a pioneer on bare areas caused by frost heaving in arctic heath (Ericaceae) communities, though it is not found in climax heath vegetation. It is confined to disturbed sites in protected areas that eventually develop rich heath communities. Alpine milkvetch does, however, persist in fully developed tundra vegetation. It frequently grows in windswept areas, but there is no disturbance requirement for alpine milkvetch to establish in tundra. These observations suggest that alpine milkvetch is limited in its competitive ability with other established plants (heath), but is less limited in its ability to persist under exposure to rigorous climate conditions (tundra) [33]. Another study also found that grass planted to revegetate disturbed areas of tundra did not affect the establishment of alpine milkvetch, though establishment of other early seral species was impeded by the planted grass [13]. Uresk and Severson [52] found that in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest of the Black Hills, alpine milkvetch growth was greater at low tree densities than at high densities; however, no alpine milkvetch was present in clearcuts. Similarly, a study of lodgepole pine (P. contorta) forest succession in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, found alpine milkvetch was characteristic of intermediate-aged stands but was not present where the forest canopy had closed [48].
Seasonal Development: Alpine milkvetch flowers from late May to early August [31,46] and produces seed from August to early September [42].
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock: Caribou [55], arctic hares [27], and greater snow geese [28] graze alpine milkvetch. Grizzly bears forage underground parts of alpine milkvetch [29]. Some members of the Astragalus genus are poisonous to domestic livestock (e.g., lesser rushy milkvetch (A. convallarius), woolly locoweed (A. mollissimus)) [50], though alpine milkvetch has not been specifically identified as one of these species.
Value for Rehabilitation of Disturbed Sites: Because it is leguminous, alpine milkvetch may be useful in restoring nitrogen to disturbed sites. However, little is known about alpine milkvetch's response to disturbance [22].
Alpine milkvetch seed may require scarification. A study of seed bank samples from Yellowstone National Park found alpine milkvetch germinants present after the seeds were exposed to 212 oF (100 oC) for 1 hour. Germinants were not present in the control, the 122 oF (50 oC) treatment, or the 302 oF (150 oC) treatment [10]. The temperature required to kill 50% of alpine milkvetch seeds in a sample exceeds 248 oF (120 oC) [9]. Laboratory tests in another study found alpine milkvetch germination may be enhanced by mechanical scarification [44].
Transplanting alpine milkvetch may be moderately successful. In a British Columbia study, transplant survivorship of alpine milkvetch was 57% to 73% on unamended coal mine soils. In general, plants did not flower or set seed until the second or third year after transplanting. Survival of alpine milkvetch decreased rapidly during the first 2 years and then gradually leveled off. Mortality was attributed to seedling drought stress, frost damage, and wildlife foraging [45].
Fire Information: There is some evidence that alpine milkvetch may be an early seral species on burned sites. A study conducted in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, found alpine milkvetch was an important postfire species in severely burned areas of Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir-lodgepole pine (Picea engelmannii-Abies lasiocarpa-Pinus contorta) forest where all trees were killed and aboveground portions of understory vegetation were consumed. Alpine milkvetch remained on these sites for at least 17 years after the fire, increasing to 25% cover in the first 8 postfire years and then decreasing to 10% cover over the next 8 years. Alpine milkvetch was not present on similar, unburned sites [17]. Doyle and others [17] described alpine milkvetch as a "transient" or "opportunistic" early successional species In Grand Teton National Park. It is not found in mature forest but generally appeared in the first postfire year in severely burned stands. It presumably developed from seeds and/or rhizomes already in the soil at the time of the fire, though the study did not conclusively demonstrate the presence of a seed bank or rhizome propagules.
Fire Regimes: Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY [47]:1. Bamberg, Samuel A.; Major, Jack. 1968. Ecology of the vegetation and soils associated with calcareous parent materials in three alpine regions of Montana. Ecological Monographs. 38(2): 127-167. [12554]
2. Barneby, Rupert C. 1989. Intermountain flora: Vascular plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. 3, Part B: Fabales. Bronx, NY: The New York Botanical Garden. 279 p. [18596]
3. Billings, William Dwight. 1988. Alpine vegetation. In: Barbour, Michael G.; Billings, William Dwight, eds. North American terrestrial vegetation. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press: 391-420. [19549]
4. Bishop, Susan Cargill; Chapin, F. Stuart III. 1989. Patterns of natural revegetation on abandoned gravel pads in arctic Alaska. The Journal of Applied Ecology. 26(3): 1073-1081. [62925]
5. Bliss, L. C.; Cantlon, J. E. 1957. Succession on river alluvium in northern Alaska. The American Midland Naturalist. 58(2): 452-469. [14931]
6. Booth, W. E.; Wright, J. C. 1962. [Revised]. Flora of Montana: Part II--Dicotyledons. Bozeman, MT: Montana State College, Department of Botany and Bacteriology. 280 p. [47286]
7. Cargill, Susan M.; Chapin, F. Stuart, III. 1987. Application of successional theory to tundra restoration: a review. Arctic and Alpine Research. 19(4): 366-372. [8685]
8. Chong, Geneva W.; Simonson, Sara E.; Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Kalkhan, Mohammed A. 2001. Biodiversity: aspen stands have the lead, but will nonnative species take over? In: Shepperd, Wayne D.; Binkley, Dan; Bartos, Dale L.; Stohlgren, Thomas J.; Eskew, Lane G., comps. Sustaining aspen in western landscapes: symposium proceedings; 2000 June 13-15; Grand Junction, CO. Proceedings RMRS-P-18. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station: 261-271. [40647]
9. Clark, D. L.; Weaver, T. W.; Despain, D. G. 1994. Seedbanks under climax Rocky Mountain vegetation and the effects of fire on them. In: Despain, Don G., ed. Plants and their environments: proceedings of the 1st biennial scientific conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem; 1991 September 16-17; Yellowstone National Park, WY. Tech. Rep. NPS/NRYELL/NRTR-93/XX. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Yellowstone National Park: 315-316. Abstract. [26294]
10. Clark, David Lee. 1991. The effect of fire on Yellowstone ecosystem seed banks. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 115 p. Thesis. [36504]
11. Cockerell, T. D. A. 1891. Notes on the flora of high altitudes in Custer County, Colorado. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 18(6): 167-174. [62924]
12. Danvind, Maria; Nilsson, Christer. 1997. Seed floating ability and distribution of alpine plants along a northern Swedish river. Journal of Vegetation Science. 8(2): 271-276. [62921]
13. Densmore, Roseann V. 1992. Succession on an Alaskan tundra disturbance with and without assisted revegetation with grass. Arctic and Alpine Research. 24(3): 238-243. [20199]
14. Dorn, Robert D. 1977. Flora of the Black Hills. Cheyenne, WY: Robert D. Dorn and Jane L. Dorn. 377 p. [820]
15. Dorn, Robert D. 1984. Vascular plants of Montana. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain West Publishing. 276 p. [819]
16. Dorn, Robert D. 1988. Vascular plants of Wyoming. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain West Publishing. 340 p. [6129]
17. Doyle, Kathleen M.; Knight, Dennis H.; Taylor, Dale L.; Barmore, William J., Jr.; Benedict, James M. 1998. Seventeen years of forest succession following the Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. International Journal of Wildland Fire. 8(1): 45-55. [29072]
18. Hayward, Herman E. 1928. Studies of plants in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Botanical Gazette. 85(4): 353-412. [1110]
19. Hitchcock, C. Leo; Cronquist, Arthur. 1973. Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 730 p. [1168]
20. Hughes, R. John; Gauthier, Gilles; Reed, Austin. 1994. Summer habitat use and behaviour of greater snow geese Anser caerulescens. Wildfowl. 45: 49-64. [54286]
21. Hult?n, Eric. 1968. Flora of Alaska and neighboring territories. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 1008 p. [13403]
22. Jurgensen, Martin F.; Tonn, Jonalea R.; Graham, Russell T.; Harvey, Alan E.; Geier-Hayes, Kathleen. 1991. Nitrogen fixation in forest soils of the Inland Northwest. In: Harvey, Alan E.; Neuenschwander, Leon F., comps. Proceedings--management and productivity of western-montane forest soils; 1990 April 10-12; Boise, ID. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-280. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 101-109. [15974]
23. Kartesz, John T.; Meacham, Christopher A. 1999. Synthesis of the North American flora (Windows Version 1.0), [CD-ROM]. In: North Carolina Botanical Garden (Producer). In cooperation with: The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. [36715]
24. Kartesz, John Thomas. 1988. A flora of Nevada. Reno, NV: University of Nevada. 1729 p. [In 2 volumes]. Dissertation. [42426]
25. Kershaw, G. Peter; Kershaw, Linda J. 1987. Successful plant colonizers on disturbances in tundra areas of northwestern Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research. 19(4): 451-460. [6115]
26. Lackschewitz, Klaus. 1991. Vascular plants of west-central Montana--identification guidebook. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-227. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station. 648 p. [13798]
27. Larter, Nicholas C. 1999. Seasonal changes in arctic hare, Lepus arcticus, diet composition and differential digestibility. The Canadian Field-Naturalist. 113(3): 481-486. [62908]
28. Lindholm, Anna; Gauthier, Gilles; Desrochers, Andr?. 1994. Effects of hatch date and food supply on gosling growth in arctic-nesting greater snow geese. The Condor. 96(4): 898-908. [62932]
29. Mace, Richard D. 1986. Analysis of grizzly bear habitat in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana. In: Contreras, Glen P.; Evans, Keith E., comps. Proceedings--grizzly bear habitat symposium; 1985 April 30-May 2; Missoula, MT. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-207. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 136-149. [10814]
30. Marr, John W. 1961. Ecosystems of the east slope of the Front Range in Colorado. Studies Series in Biology 8. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado. 134 p. [5724]
31. Martin, William C.; Hutchins, Charles R. 1981. A flora of New Mexico. Volume 2. Germany: J. Cramer. 2589 p. [37176]
32. McKendrick, Jay D. 1987. Plant succession on disturbed sites, North Slope, Alaska, U.S.A. Arctic and Alpine Research. 19(4): 554-565. [6077]
33. Muller, Cornelius H. 1952. Plant succession in arctic heath and tundra in northern Scandinavia. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 79(4): 296-309. [62926]
34. Newcomb, William; Wood, Susan M. 1986. Fine structure of nitrogen-fixing leguminous root nodules from the Canadian Arctic. Nordic Journal of Botany. 6(5): 609-626. [62902]
35. Parry, C. C. 1874. Botanical observations in western Wyoming. The American Naturalist. 8(1): 9-14. [56090]
36. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
37. Robbins, W. W. 1918. Successions of vegetation in Boulder Park, Colorado. Botanical Gazette. 65(6): 493-525. [62933]
38. Rowe, J. S. 1956. Uses of undergrowth plant species in forestry. Ecology. 37(3): 461-473. [8862]
39. Schulman, H. M.; Lewis, M. C.; Tipping, E. M.; Bordeleau, L. M. 1988. Nitrogen fixation by three species of Leguminosae in the Canadian high arctic tundra. Plant, Cell and Environment. 11(8): 721-728. [62901]
40. Seagrist, Randy V.; Taylor, Kevin J. 1998. Alpine vascular flora of Buffalo Peaks, Mosquito Range, Colorado, USA. Madrono. 45(4): 319-325. [30608]
41. Seagrist, Randy V.; Taylor, Kevin J. 1998. Alpine vascular flora of Hasley Basin, Elk Mountains, Colorado, USA. Madrono. 45(4): 310-318. [30609]
42. Seymour, Frank Conkling. 1982. The flora of New England. 2nd ed. Phytologia Memoirs 5. Plainfield, NJ: Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L. Moldenke. 611 p. [7604]
43. Sinton, Heather M. M. 1980. Effect of burning and mowing on Festuca hallii (Vasey) Piper (Festuca scabrella Torr.). Edmonton, AB: The University of Alberta. 141 p. Dissertation. [14315]
44. Smyth, C. R. 1997. Early succession patterns with a native species seed mix on amended and unamended coal mine spoil in the Rocky Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research. 29(2): 184-195. [27405]
45. Smyth, Clint R. 1997. Native legume transplant survivorship and subsequent seedling recruitment on unamended coal mine soils in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Mountain Research and Development. 17(2): 145-157. [62912]
46. Stenstrom, Mikael; Bergman, Peter. 1998. Bumblebees at an alpine site in northern Sweden: temporal development, population size, and plant utilization. Ecography. 21(3): 306-316. [62910]
47. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species comprising secondary plant succession in Northern Rocky Mountain forests. FEIS workshop: Postfire regeneration. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT. 10 p. [20090]
48. Taylor, Dale L. 1969. Biotic succession of lodgepole pine forests of fire origin in Yellowstone National Park. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming. 320 p. Thesis. [9481]
49. Treu, R.; Laursen, G. A.; Stephenson, S. L.; Landolt, J. C.; Densmore, R. 1996. Mycorrhizae from Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Mycorrhiza. 6(1): 21-29. [51689]
50. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1937. Range plant handbook. Washington, DC. 532 p. [2387]
51. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. 2007. PLANTS Database, [Online]. Available: https://plants.usda.gov /. [34262]
52. Uresk, Daniel W.; Severson, Kieth E. 1998. Response of understory species to changes in ponderosa pine stocking levels in the Black Hills. The Great Basin Naturalist. 58(4): 312-327. [29413]
53. Weber, William A.; Wittmann, Ronald C. 1996. Colorado flora: eastern slope. 2nd ed. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado. 524 p. [27572]
54. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. The Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
55. Wilkinson, P. F.; Shank, C. C.; Penner, D. F. 1976. Muskox-caribou summer range relations on Banks Island, N.W.T. Journal of Wildlife Management. 40(1): 151-162. [62919]