Differentiation of Serviceberry Habitats in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah

Abstract

Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis Koehne) and its habitats were studied in the Wasatch Mountains of central Utah. Twenty-five populations were selected and sampled for various biotic and abiotic environmental variables. Regression, correlation, cluster, and discriminant analyses were used to analyze the data. Sites of northern exposure exhibited a more luxuriant vegetation than southern exposures. Although all the study sites contained Utah serviceberry as a dominant or subdominant plant, they can be classified into three major habitat types according to associated dominants and/or geographical location. These groups are serviceberry-dominated foothill knolls; oak-serviceberry-dominated northern exposures; and serviceberry-dominated southerly exposures. Analyses demonstrated overlap between the major selected habitat types. The most distinct habitat was the foothill knolls; the least distinct was the southern exposed serviceberry habitat. The serviceberry habitat on southerly exposures is environmentally intermediate between the foothill knolls and higher elevation northern exposed sites on which serviceberry shares dominance with oak. Discriminant analysis indicated that pH, slope, sand, soluble salts, and clay were the environmental factors most important in distinguishing between the major habitat types.