British NVC community MG4 (''Alopecurus pratensis - Sanguisorba officinalis'' grassland) is one of the
mesotrophic grassland communities
A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...
in the
British National Vegetation Classification
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The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain.
A large scientific meeting of ecologists, botanists, and other related pr ...
system. It is one of four such communities associated with well-drained permanent pastures and meadows.
This community, although widespread in the past, now has a scattered distribution in the Midlands and southern England. One rare species
rare species is associated with this community:
snake's-head fritillary (''Fritillaria meleagris'') and six rare micro-species of dandelion, ''Taraxacum fulgidum'', ''T. haematicum'', ''T. melanthoides'', ''T. sublaeticolor'', ''T. subundulatum'' and ''T. tamesense''.
There are four
subcommunities.
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Subcommunities
* the ''Dactylis glomerata'' subcommunity
The Cock’s-foot sub-community is the most species-rich of the four
sub-communities and is generally found where the water table remains low throughout the growing season and flooding is rare. Distinguishing species that are
constant include
cock’s-foot (''Dactylis glomerata'') and
yellow oat-grass
''Trisetum flavescens'', the yellow oatgrass or golden oat grass, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
It can be found elsewhere, such as sections of North America, where it was introduc ...
(''Trisetum flavescens'').
Meadow foxtail, (''Alopecurus pratensis'') which is included in the scientific name for the overall community is found only sparsely and patchily in this
sub-community.
* the ''Typical'' subcommunity
The Typical
sub-community, as its name implies, describes those stands closest in their species composition to the Burnet floodplain meadow
community as a whole. However, stands of the Typical
sub-community are less species-rich than those of the Cock’s foot
sub-community, with on average 22 species per square metre, and there are no strongly
preferential
In psychology, economics and philosophy, preference is a technical term usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives. For example, someone prefers A over B if they would rather choose A than B. Preferences are central to decision theo ...
species
* the ''Holcus lanatus'' subcommunity
The Yorkshire fog
sub-community has a high cover of grasses such as
meadow foxtail (''Alopecurus pratensis''),
rough-stalked meadow-grass (''Poa trivialis'') and
creeping bent (''Agrostis stolonifera''). It tends to be associated with sites which experience a high water table for longer periods during the growing season than the two preceding sub-communities. It is less species-rich than the Cock’s-foot and Typical
sub-communities.
* the ''Agrostis stolonifera'' subcommunity
The Creeping bent
sub-community is the most species-poor. It tends to be associated with areas that experience prolonged inundation (which can also lead to higher soil fertility) and is especially characteristic of the
Derwent Ings
Derwent Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) divided between North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Derwent Ings is of international significance and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance ...
in
Yorkshire.
Community composition
The following
constant species are found in this community:
*
Meadow foxtail (''Alopecurus pratensis'')
*
Common mouse-ear (''Cerastium fontanum'')
*
Crested dog's-tail (''Cynosurus cristatus'')
*
Red fescue (''Festuca rubra'')
*
Meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'')
*
Yorkshire-fog (''Holcus lanatus'')
*
Meadow vetchling
''Lathyrus pratensis'' or meadow vetchling, yellow pea, meadow pea and meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height.
The hermaphrodite flowers are pollinated by bees. As a perennial, this plant reproduces itself over man ...
(''Lathyrus pratensis'')
*
Autumn hawkbit
''Scorzoneroides autumnalis'', commonly called autumn hawkbit, is a perennial plant species, widespread in its native range in Eurasia (from Europe east to western Siberia), and introduced in North America.
The plant is sometimes called fall da ...
(''Leontodon autumnalis'')
*
Perennial rye-grass (''Lolium perenne'')
*
Ribwort plantain
''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on c ...
(''Plantago lanceolata'')
*
Meadow buttercup
''Ranunculus acris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant but ...
(''Ranunculus acris'')
*
Common sorrel
Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...
(''Rumex acetosa'')
*
Great burnet (''Sanguisorba officinalis'')
*
Dandelion (''Taraxacum officinale'' agg.)
*
Red clover (''Trifolium pratense'')
*
White clover (''Trifolium repens'')
References
*
Rodwell, J. S.
John S. Rodwell (1946 – present) is an ecologist who was based at the University of Lancaster, noted for his role in the development of the British National Vegetation Classification and as editor of the five volumes of ''British Plant Commu ...
(1992) ''
British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities'' (hardback), (paperback)
* Rothero, E., Lake. S, and Gowing, D. (eds) (2016). ''Floodplain Meadows – Beauty and Utility. A Technical Handbook'' Milton Keynes, Floodplain Meadows Partnership (paperback)
External links
* http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk/about-meadows/wildlife/plant-communities
{{NVC-MG
MG04