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Community Composition Of Dry Prairie In Iowa And Southeast Nebraska, Thomas R. Rosburg

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Results from quantitative research on the community composition of dry prairies across Iowa were consolidated from three different studies completed since 1983. Information is provided on the distribution and abundance of 204 dry prairie species. The most abundant species included little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torrey), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis (Gray) Gray) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). Multivariate analyses were completed using two independent measures of species abundance-relative cover and community constancy. When relative cover was used to determine community composition, the abundance of graminoids (tallgrasses vs. mid-grasses) …