Sagebrush steppe also known as the sagebrush sea, is a type of shrub-steppe, a plant community characterized by the presence of

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

s, and usually dominated by

sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...

, any of several species in the genus '' Artemisia''.Sagebrush steppe.
National Park Service. This ecosystem is found in the Intermountain West in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.Sagebrush Steppe Conservation Project /ID National Lab.
Wildlife Conservation Society. 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. 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 water source in otherwise arid regions.McIver, 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. It is key habitat for declining flora and fauna species, such as

greater sage-grouse The greater sage-grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''), also known as the sagehen, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is Sagebrush steppe, sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canad ...

(''Centrocercus urophasianus'') and pygmy rabbit (''Brachylagus idahoensis'').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. Sagebrush steppe is a threatened ecosystem in many regions. It was once prevalent in the regions that form the Intermountain West such as the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. It has become fragmented and degraded by many forces. Steppe has been overgrown with

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

and has changed to an ecosystem resembling pine and juniper woodland, which has changed the fire regime of the landscape, increasing fuel loads and increasing the chance of unnaturally severe wildfires.Sagebrush Steppe: A Story of Encroachment and Invasion.
''Fire Science Brief'' Issue 27. December, 2008. Cheatgrass (''Bromus tectorum'') is also an important introduced plant species that increases fire risk in this ecosystem. Other forces leading to these habitat changes include fire suppression and

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

of livestock. Besides severe fire, consequences of the breakdown of sagebrush steppe include increased

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

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.

References

External links

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TNC Sagebrush Sea Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagebrush Steppe Deserts and xeric shrublands in the United States Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands in the United States Plant communities of the Western United States Plant communities of California * * * * * * * * Sagebrush steppe * * Grasslands of Canada Grasslands of the United States Grasslands of California Ecoregions of the United States Plants by habitat Basin and Range Province