The Ecology of Sagebrush on the Glacial Outwash Plains in Grand Teton National Park

The glacial outwash plains in Jackson Hole support what appears to be a homogeneous cover of sagebrush, both Artemisia arbuscula (low sage) and A. tridentata (big sage) On closer examination there are found areas of low sage only, of big sage only, and of big and low sage together. Within each of these areas there are differencces in plant understory species composition and pocket gopher activity. The cause for this differential distribution of plant species constitute a part of the study being undertaken. In appearance these causes seem to be related to soil differences and to the pocket gopher activitey. Twenty-two sites were selected in order to test this. Thus far only preliminary work has been carried out in order to gain insight into what must be sampled. The rest of the study is a community analysis. This will show the species distribution within and between the sites. Project Number 169