Shrublands

IUCN GET 2.0

T3 Shrublands & shrubby woodlands

Shrublands & shrubby woodlands biome

biome is comprised these Ecosystem Functional Groups (EFG): Shrublands & shrubby woodlands, Seasonally dry tropical shrublands, Seasonally dry temperate heaths and shrublands, Cool temperate heathlands, Rocky pavements, screes and lava flows. The Shrublands and shrub-dominated woodlands biome includes oligotrophic systems occurring on acidic, sandy soils that are often shallow or skeletal. Classically regarded as ‘azonal’ biomes or ‘pedobiomes’ (i.e. biomes determined by soils), they are scattered across all landmasses outside the polar regions, generally (but not always) closer to continental margins than to interior regions and absent from central Asia. Productivity and biomass are low to moderate and limited by soil fertility. The effect of nutrient poverty on productivity is exacerbated in tropical to mid-latitudes by water deficits occurring during either winter (tropics) or summer (temperate humid and Mediterranean climates) and by low insolation and cold temperatures at higher latitudes. Trophic networks are simple but the major functional components (photoautotrophic plants, decomposers, detritivores, herbivores and predators) are all represented and fuelled by autochthonous energy sources. Shrubs are the dominant primary producers and possess a diversity of leaf and root traits as well as mutualistic relationships with soil microbes that promote the capture and conservation of nutrients. Recurrent disturbance events exert top-down regulation by consuming biomass, releasing resources, and triggering life-history processes (including recruitment and dispersal) in a range of organisms. Fire is the most widespread mechanism, with storms or mass movement of substrate less frequently implicated. Storage effects related to re-sprouting organs and seed banks appear to be important for maintaining plant diversity and hence structure and function in shrublands exposed to recurring fires and water deficits.

ESVD

Woodland & Shrubland biome comprised of Tropical wood-& shrublands, Mediterranean wood-& shrubland, Temperate wood-& shrubland, Heathland, Other (woodland and shrubland)

FEMA ESV

Not defined as a land cover / ecosystem type. Referenced in Inland Wetlands.

Other

ESRI Land Cover “Rangeland”

Dense Rangeland – Healthy, closely packed vegetation that is predominantly dense, short (under 5m) woody shrubs with very little to no mixed grass or bare ground cover. May contain small isolated trees. Within and around areas classified as built, this class can also include highly manicured lawns or fields. Defined as a rangeland prediction with a maximum NDVI value greater than or equal to a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

Sparse Rangeland – Vegetation that is some mix of grasses and/or dispersed, short, woody scrub, with or without some bare ground cover. May contain small isolated trees. Defined as a rangeland prediction with a maximum NDVI value less than a biome-specific threshold during the given time period.

USGS “Shrubland”

Dwarf Scrub - Alaska only areas dominated by shrubs less than 20 centimeters tall with shrub canopy typically greater than 20% of total vegetation. This type is often co-associated with grasses, sedges, herbs, and non-vascular vegetation.

Shrub/Scrub - areas dominated by shrubs; less than 5 meters tall with shrub canopy typically greater than 20% of total vegetation. This class includes true shrubs, young trees in an early successional stage or trees stunted from environmental conditions.

Dynamic World “Shrub & Scrub”

Mix of small clusters of plants or individual plants dispersed on a landscape that shows exposed soil and rock. Scrub-filled clearings within dense forests that are clearly not taller than trees. Appear grayer/browner due to less dense leaf cover.