A field guide to the natural communities of Michigan Cover Image

Book

A field guide to the natural communities of Michigan / Joshua G. Cohen, Michael A. Kost, Bradford S. Slaughter, Dennis A. Albert.

Cohen, Joshua G., (author.). Slaughter, Bradford S., (author.). Kost, Michael A., (author.). Albert, Dennis A., (author.).

Summary:

The culmination of three decades of work by Michigan Natural Features Inventory ecologists, this essential guidebook to the natural communities of Michigan introduces the diverse terrain of a unique state. Small enough to carry in a backpack, this field guide provides a system for dividing the complex natural landscape of Michigan into easily understood and describable components called natural communities. Providing a new way to explore Michigan's many environments, this book details natural communities ranging from patterned fen to volcanic bedrock glade and beyond. The descriptions are supplemented with distribution maps, vibrant photographs, and comprehensive lists of characteristic plant species. The authors suggest places to visit to further study each type of natural community and provide a comprehensive glossary of ecological terms, as well as a dichotomous key for aiding field identification. An invaluable resource, this book is meant to serve as a tool for those seeking to understand, describe, document, conserve, and restore the diversity of natural communities native to Michigan.

Record details

ISBN: 9781611861341
ISBN: 1611861349
Physical Description: xlii, 362 pages : color illustrations, color maps ; 23 cm
Publisher: East Lansing, Michigan : Michigan State Univiversity Press, [2015]
Copyright: ©2015

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 359-362).

Formatted Contents Note:

Table 1: Natural Community Types by Ecological Class and Group -- Table 2: Natural Community State Ranks -- Table 3: Soil pH Ranges -- Key to the natural community -- Types of Michigan -- Palustrine Class: -- Marsh Group: -- Submergent Marsh -- Emergent Marsh -- Great Lakes Marsh -- Inland Salt Marsh -- Coastal Plain Marsh -- Intermittent Wetland -- Northern Wet Meadow -- Southern Wet Meadow -- Interdunal Wetland -- Wet Prairie Group: -- Wet Prairie -- Wet-mesic Prairie -- Wet-mesic Sand Prairie -- Lakeplain Wet Prairie -- Lakeplain Wet-mesic Prairie -- Fen Group: -- Poor Fen -- Patterned Fen -- Northern Fen -- Prairie Fen -- Coastal Fen -- Bog Group: -- Bog -- Muskeg -- Shrub Wetland Group: -- Inundated Shrub Swamp -- Northern Shrub Thicket -- Southern Shrub-Carr -- Forested Wetland Group: -- Poor Conifer Swamp -- Rich Conifer Swamp -- Rich Tamarack Swamp -- Hardwood-Conifer Swamp -- Floodplain Forest -- Northern Hardwood Swamp -- Southern Hardwood Swamp -- Wet-mesic Flatwoods -- Terrestrial Class: -- Prairie Group: -- Hillside Prairie -- Dry Sand Prairie -- Dry-mesic Prairie -- Mesic Prairie -- Mesic Sand Prairie -- Savanna Group: -- Pine Barrens -- Oak-Pine Barrens -- Oak Barrens -- Oak Openings -- Lakeplain Oak Openings -- Bur Oak Plains -- Forest Group: -- Dry Northern Forest -- Dry-mesic Northern Forest -- Mesic Northern Forest -- Boreal Forest -- Dry Southern Forest -- Dry-mesic Southern Forest -- Mesic Southern Forest -- Palustrine/Terrestrial Class: -- Wooded Dune & Swale Group: -- Wooded Dune & Swale Group: -- Wooded Dune & Swale complex -- Primary Class: -- Dunes Group: -- Open Dunes -- Great Lakes Barrens -- Sand/Cobble Shore Group: -- Sand & Gravel Beach -- Limestone Cobble Shore -- Sandstone Cobble Shore -- Volcanic Cobble Shore -- Bedrock Lakeshore Group: -- Limestone Bedrock Lakeshore -- Sandstone Bedrock Lakeshore -- Granite Bedrock Lakeshore -- Volcanic Bedrock Lakeshore -- Bedrock Grassland Group: -- Alvar -- Bedrock Glade Group: -- Limestone Bedrock Glade -- Granite Bedrock Glade -- Volcanic Bedrock Glade -- Northern Bald -- Lakeshore Cliff/Bluff Group: -- Clay Bluff -- Limestone Lakeshore Cliff -- Sandstone Lakeshore Cliff -- Granite Lakeshore Cliff -- Volcanic Lakeshore Cliff -- Inland Cliff Group: -- Limestone Cliff -- Sandstone Cliff -- Granite Cliff -- Volcanic Cliff -- Subterranean/Sink Class: -- Karst Group: -- Cave -- Sinkhole.