Wyoming Basin shrub steppe
Encyclopedia
The Wyoming Basin shrub steppe ecoregion
, within the deserts and xeric shrublands
biome
, is a shrub steppe in the northwestern United States
.
state
of Wyoming
, but does extend minimally into southeastern Idaho
, south-central Montana
, north-central Utah
and northwestern Colorado
. It is located within multiple high altitude intermontane
basins largely surrounded by various subranges of the Rocky Mountains
. These basins are in the rain shadow
of the North American Cordillera
and as such have an arid
to semi-arid climate with long, very cold winters and short, hot summers.
), often associated with various Agropyron
species or fescue grass. At its upper altitudinal limit, the shrub steppe grades into the bordering mountain ecoregions, namely the South Central Rockies forests
, the Colorado Rockies forests
and the Wasatch and Uinta montane forests
. Ecotones between the shrub steppe and mountain forests may occur as high as 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) in some areas. Between mountain ranges, this ecoregion grades into the Northern short grasslands
to the east and in a very small portion to the north, the Colorado Plateau shrublands to the south, and the Great Basin shrub steppe
in a very small portion in the far west.
(Cervus canadensis), white-tailed prairie dog
(Cynomys leucurus), coyote
(Canis latrans), swift fox
(Vulpes velow), pronghorn
(Antilocapra americana), bison
(Bison bison bison) and black-footed ferret
(Mustela nigripes).
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
, within the deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...
biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
, is a shrub steppe in the northwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Setting
This ecoregion is located almost entirely within the western and central portions of the USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, but does extend minimally into southeastern Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, south-central Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, north-central Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and northwestern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It is located within multiple high altitude intermontane
Intermontane
Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix "inter-" and the adjective "montane" Usage includes intermontane basin such as New Zealand's Mackenzie Basin and intermontane...
basins largely surrounded by various subranges of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. These basins are in the rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
of the North American Cordillera
North American Cordillera
The North American Cordillera is the North American portion of the American Cordillera which is a cordillera extending up and down the western side of the Americas. The North American Cordillera covers an extensive area of mountain ranges, intermontane basins, and plateaus in western North...
and as such have an arid
Desert climate
A desert climate , also known as an arid climate, is a climate that does not meet the criteria to be classified as a polar climate, and in which precipitation is too low to sustain any vegetation at all, or at most a very scanty scrub.An area that features this climate usually experiences less than...
to semi-arid climate with long, very cold winters and short, hot summers.
Flora
The dominant vegetation of this ecoregion is sagebrush (Artemisia tridentataArtemisia tridentata
Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...
), often associated with various Agropyron
Agropyron
Agropyron is a genus of grasses , native to Europe and Asia. Species in the genus are commonly referred to as crested-wheat grasses...
species or fescue grass. At its upper altitudinal limit, the shrub steppe grades into the bordering mountain ecoregions, namely the South Central Rockies forests
South Central Rockies forests
The South Central Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States.-Setting:This ecoregion is located mainly in western Wyoming, but also in eastern and central Idaho, central Montana, northeastern Wyoming and southwestern South Dakota...
, the Colorado Rockies forests
Colorado Rockies forests
The Colorado Rockies forests is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States.-Setting:This ecoregion is located in the highest ranges of the Rocky Mountains, in central and western Colorado, northern New Mexico and southeastern Wyoming, and experiences a dry continental...
and the Wasatch and Uinta montane forests
Wasatch and Uinta montane forests
The Wasatch and Uinta montane forest is a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the United States.-Setting:This ecoregion is located almost entirely within the state of Utah, with a very small portion stretching north just into southwestern Wyoming...
. Ecotones between the shrub steppe and mountain forests may occur as high as 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) in some areas. Between mountain ranges, this ecoregion grades into the Northern short grasslands
Northern Short Grasslands
The Northern short grasslands is one of 867 terrestrial ecoregions defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. This ecoregion includes parts of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the American Great Plains states of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and...
to the east and in a very small portion to the north, the Colorado Plateau shrublands to the south, and the Great Basin shrub steppe
Great Basin shrub steppe
The Great Basin shrub steppe ecoregion, within the Deserts and xeric shrublands Biome, includes various xeric shrub-steppe sub-ecoregions in the Great Basin region of the Western United States.It is within the North American Desert region, and includes much of Nevada, eastern and northeastern...
in a very small portion in the far west.
Fauna
Mammals in this ecoregion include elkElk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
(Cervus canadensis), white-tailed prairie dog
White-tailed Prairie Dog
The white-tailed prairie dog is found in western Wyoming and western Colorado with small areas in eastern Utah and southern Montana. The largest populations are in Wyoming where they are known colloquially as "chiselers". This prairie dog species lives between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, generally a...
(Cynomys leucurus), coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
(Canis latrans), swift fox
Swift Fox
The swift fox is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. It also lives in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, where it was previously extirpated...
(Vulpes velow), pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
(Antilocapra americana), bison
Plains Bison
The Plains Bison or Common bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American Bison, the other being the Wood Bison . Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Plains Bison consists of a northern and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three...
(Bison bison bison) and black-footed ferret
Black-footed Ferret
The Black-footed Ferret , also known as the American polecat or Prairie Dog Hunter, is a species of Mustelid native to central North America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations...
(Mustela nigripes).
Conservation status
Though little of this ecoregion is protected, it is largely intact due to the harsh climate and resulting poor agricultural potential. However, heavy livestock grazing, fire suppression and the introduction of non-native plants (especially grasses) have resulted in some areas being significantly altered. These, along with oil and gas exploration and mining, are the most serious threats to this ecoregion's integrity.See also
- Shrub steppe
- Red Desert (Wyoming)Red Desert (Wyoming)The Red Desert is a high altitude desert and sagebrush steppe located in south central Wyoming, comprising approximately 9,320 square miles...
- Sagebrush steppeSagebrush steppeThe sagebrush steppe is a type of shrub-steppe, which is a dry-xeric environment and plant community found in the Western United States and western Canada...
- Bighorn BasinBighorn BasinThe Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south...
- Great Divide BasinGreat Divide BasinThe Great Divide Basin is a drainage basin of the Continental Divide of the Americas. The basin is between the Green River watershed on the west and the Medicine Bow River watershed on the east . From the northwest, the basin begins in the "Wind River Range .....