An ecological study of grasslands in Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes National Parks

Abstract

Seventy-one stands were sampled as representative of the grasslands at low elevations in Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes National Parks. Quantitative methods were used to describe the floristic composition and vegetation structure of these grasslands and some of the physical and biotic environmental factors operating on them.Three-dimensional ordination based on vegetative similarity detected correlations between the grassland composition and structure and the measured environmental factors; indicated a discontinuity between the Waterton and Banff–Jasper stands; and suggested several grassland types.Cluster analysis verified this discontinuity and clarified the classification of the 71 stands.The two most extensive grassland types were mesophytic Festuca – Danthonia Prairie in Waterton Park, characterized by a high species diversity and by the dominance of Danthonia parryi, Festuca idahoensis, F. scabrella, Galium boreale, and Lupinus sericeus; xerophytic Koeleria – Calamagrostis montanensis Grassland, most prominent in the Athabasca River valley in Jasper, and characterized by low species diversity, by the dominance of Calamagrostis montanensis, Koeleria cristata, Antennaria nitida/rosea, Artemisia frigida, and Astragalus striatus and by heavy grazing by elk. Less distinct types were low-lying grass and sedge meadows in Waterton, Poa – Hordeum jabatum Grasslands, Koeleria – Geum triflorum Grasslands, Stipa richardsonii Shrub Savanna, and Elymus innovatus Shrub Savanna.