Sagebrush steppe with Artemisia tridentata, of the Great Basin region in Owyhee County, Idaho
Sagebrush steppe is a type of shrub-steppe, a plant community characterized by the presence of shrubs, and usually dominated by sagebrush, any of several species in the genus Artemisia.[1] This ecosystem is found in the Intermountain West in the United States.[2]
The most common sagebrush species in the sagebrush steppe in most areas is big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). Others include three-tip sagebrush (Artemisia tripartita) and low sagebrush (Artemisia arbuscula). Sagebrush is found alongside many species of grasses.[1]
Sagebrush steppe is a diverse habitat, with more than 350 recorded vertebrate species. It is also open rangeland for livestock, a recreation area, and a source of water in otherwise arid regions.[3] It is key habitat for declining flora and fauna species, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis).[4]
Sagebrush steppe is a threatened ecosystem in many regions. It was once very widespread in the regions that form the Intermountain West, such as the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. It has become fragmented and degraded by a number of forces.[2] Steppe has been overgrown with introduced species and has changed to an ecosystem resembling pine and juniper woodland. This has changed the fire regime of the landscape, increasing fuel loads and increasing the chance of unnaturally severe wildfires.[5] Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is also an important introduced plant species that increases fire risk in this ecosystem.[5][6] Other forces leading to these habitat changes include fire suppression and overgrazing of livestock.[3] Besides severe fire, consequences of the breakdown of sagebrush steppe include increased erosion of the land and sedimentation in local waterways, decreased water quality, decreased quality of forage available for livestock, and degradation of habitat for wildlife and game animals.[3]
^ abcMcIver, J. D., et al. 2010. The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP): a test of state-and-transition theory. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-237. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
^Davies, G. M., et al. (2012). Trajectories of change in sagebrush steppe vegetation communities in relation to multiple wildfires. Ecological Applications, 22(5), 1562-77.
^ abSagebrush Steppe: A Story of Encroachment and Invasion. Fire Science Brief Issue 27. December, 2008.
^"Born of Fire—Restoring Sagebrush Steppe" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2017.
Sagebrushsteppe is a type of shrub-steppe, a plant community characterized by the presence of shrubs, and usually dominated by sagebrush, any of several...
privatization. As much of the land in question is sagebrushsteppe, supporters adopted the name "Sagebrush Rebellion." In 1981 James G. Watt, one of the leaders...
Patagonian steppe near Fitz Roy, Argentina A guanaco in the Patagonian steppe near Torres del Paine, Chile Prairie in Alberta, Canada Sagebrushsteppe in northeastern...
throughout a range of cold desert, steppe, and mountain habitats in the Intermountain West of North America. Big sagebrush and other Artemisia shrubs are...
of eastern Washington Most of the Snake River Plain (ecoregion) is sagebrushsteppe, but barren lava fields form small deserts, such as Craters of the...
stream network drains to the Snake River system. The valleys support sagebrushsteppe or saltbush vegetation. Mollisol soils are common, in contrast to the...
sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), often associated with various Agropyron species or fescue grass. At its upper altitudinal limit, the shrub steppe grades...
parts of Canada, and displays especially invasive behavior in the sagebrushsteppe ecosystems where it has been listed as noxious weed. B. tectorum often...
deciduous forest, grassland, lodgepole pine forest, blue oak woodland, sagebrushsteppe, succulent coastal scrub and prairie. These pools are characteristic...
desert is a geographical region that largely overlaps the Great Basin shrub steppe defined by the World Wildlife Fund, and the Central Basin and Range ecoregion...
rose species native to North America Rosa woodsii, "wild rose" of the sagebrushsteppe in the Great Basin of North America Genus Diplolaena: Diplolaena grandiflora...
The Sagebrush Sea, also called the sagebrushsteppe, is an ecosystem of the Great Basin that is primarily centered on the 27 species of sagebrush that...
ridges, wooded areas, and in sandy plain habitats of the sagebrushsteppe, growing near sagebrush and rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus). It is a slender herbaceous...
North America. A winter annual, it can be found in such areas as the sagebrushsteppe. The root is a branching caudex. Stems are decumbent, to 40 cm long...
nuttallianum and Delphinium bicolor appear in habitats like prairies and the sagebrushsteppe. Tall and robust species with many flowers, such as Delphinium occidentale...
supplies to plants which would otherwise struggle to survive in the xeric sagebrushsteppe. Trees are often found in riparian habitats along streams in coulees...
moisture Rain shadow – Leeward side of a mountain range Sagebrushsteppe – Grassland ecosystem Shrub-steppe – Ecoregion characterized by semi-arid grassland...
Emerging through snow Group of plants on Olympic Peninsula Sagebrushsteppe Great Basin shrub steppe USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Ranunculus glaberrimus". The PLANTS...
three major lava fields and about 400 square miles (1,000 km2) of sagebrushsteppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1,117 square miles (2,893 km2)...
Coteau". North Dakota Game and Fish Department. State of North Dakota. "SagebrushSteppe And Mixed Grass Prairie". U.S. National Park Service - Bighorn Canyon...
They may also be found in opening in coniferous forests and among the sagebrush of the interior. The nectar is also poisonous; controlled experiments...
During the Last Glacial Maximum, the mammoth steppe, also known as steppe-tundra, was once the Earth's most extensive biome. It stretched east-to-west...
California to Alberta, including mountain meadows and the majority of the sagebrushsteppe, except very dry areas. The roots vary from thin to thick. The plant...
Global Information