Vegetational Map and Community Structure of a West Central Kansas Prairie

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to delineate vegetational communities cartographically within a 176 acre prairie in Trego County, Kansas. The com- munities were characterized as to vegetational structure, underlying soils, and topographic position. An attempt was also made to discern causal factors influencing species distribution. Seven communities were recognized and mapped onto an aerial photograph. The communities identified were: Buchloe-Bouteloua, Buchloe-Bouteloua-Agropyron, Bouteloua, Bouteloua-Andropogon, Andropogon gerardi, Andropogon scoparius, and Kochia. The communities were found to be primarily the result of a moisture gradient established through the combined effects of topography and soils. Degrees of success varied for all species throughout the moisture gradient, thus, species with similar tolerance were aggregated into communities. Initial ecological studies usually consist of describing and classify- ing vegetation into an orderly hierarchy. Subsequent studies subdivide each precedingly larger classification unit into smaller more detailed units; thus, classifications arise that not only delineate areas according to vegetational differences but also include such environmental differ- ences as climate, topography, and soils. When an area has been properly described and classified, micro- climate and functional ecological studies can be initiated. Before the interrelations between communities and their ecosystems can be prop- erly assessed and understood, it is essential to inventory and describe the components present. The vegetation of western Kansas has been mapped and described at various levels in the hierarchy of vegetational classifications. Clem- ents (1920) classified western Kansas in the Mixed Prairie association of the grassland formation. Albertson (1937) further refined Clements' classification by distinguishing three communities within the grass- lands near Hays. The Buchloe-Bouteloua community was widely dis- tributed on nearly level uplands and was underlaid by heavy soils. The