Nebraska Academy of Sciences
Date of this Version
2000
Abstract
A botanical survey of the Republican River Valley in Nebraska was initiated during the 1995 growing season and continued through 1998. A major objective of this study was to discover and tabulate rare plants (as designated by the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program), but a general floristic study was also completed. Natural areas, selected because of species composition or location, were identified and described. The study area is characterized by a high degree of human disturbance. Most county floras, with the exception of Webster, are poorly represented. Seven species of conservation concern are reported, which is 1.4% of the total collected flora of 499 species. Dominant vegetation types are riparian forest, tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, sandsage prairie, and wetlands. Most of the floodplain has been cultivated or grazed and is also subject to fluctuating ground water levels, resulting in a general decline in the diversity of native plant species. The loss of wet meadows throughout the valley has contributed to this lack of diversity.
Comments
2000. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 26: 1-15. Copyright © 2000 Rothenberger