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4 61 • Ants are a major factor in the ecology of this vegetation type, affecting vegetation and soil cover. Large circular shaped bare spots, 3 to 10 meters in diameter and stepped of vegetation by ants occur with a symmetric spacing throughout the vegetation type. Rock is scarce with 0.6 percent cover. See Table 4.5-2. Greasewood Scarcobatus vermiclatus is the dominant shrub and provides 24.4 percent cover. Greasewood is known to accumulate salts in its leaves and when they drop to the ground salt accumulates in the soil. Accordingly, plants growing in greasewood shrublands are often saline tolerant. Other common shrubs in this community are: big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata (3.2 percent cover), seepweed, Suaeda ton-eyana (3.2 percent cover), and rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseous(2.1 percent cover). Fourwing saltbush, Atrip/ex canescens contributed a minor (<1%) amount of cover. Other shrubs sparsely present in the vegetation type but not in the cover transects are: shadscale, Atriplex confertifolia and broom snakeweed, Xanthocephalum sarothrae. Individuals of Utah Juniper, Juniperus osteospenna are sparsely scattered in very low densities throughout the community. Juniper does not contribute to the estimated vegetation • cover. The herbaceous understory of this vegetation type is characterized by a number of introduced species which indicate a history of heavy grazing and disturbance by livestock. Cheatgrass Bromus tectorum, an introduced annual grass, is the overwhelmingly dominant species with 29.4 percent cover. Minor graminoids are tall wheatgrass Agropyron a/ongatum, an introduced perennial (1.5 percent cover), western wheatgrass Agropryn smiinii(0.9 percent cover), a native sod forming grass, and Sandberg bluegrass Poa sandbergii(0.3 percent cover). Other graminoids in this vegetation type but not found in sample transects include: crested wheatgrass Agropyron desertorum, basin wildrye E/ymus cinereus, Salina wildrye E/ymus salinus, Indian ricegrass Oryzopsis hymenoides, squirreltail Sitanion lonifolium, and sand dropseed Sorobolus cryptandrus. Fort cover is also dominated by introduced "weedy type" annuals, predominantly clasping pepperweed Lepidium perfoliatum (4.1 percent cover) and ceratocephala Ceratocephala testicu/ata (2.1 percent cover). Hoary aster Machaeranthera canescens is also common fort • (1.2 percent cover). Minor forts are: white-top Cardaria draba, prickly lettuce Lactuca serrio/a, and Russian thistle Salsola ibenca. M~ Volume 1 4-2996