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11 <br />Q 465.4 6.6 <br />Q2 1011.7 4.1 <br />R 688.0 3.0 <br />S 1133.1 6.2 <br />T 1497.4 2.5 <br />U 4411.1 2.1 <br />V 4168.3 2.2 <br />W 13395.2 3.7 <br />X 445.2 1.5 <br />Y 121.4 0.4 <br />Z 3318.5 2.2 <br />Species Diversity and Composition <br />• The data illustrated in Figure 5 show that the 2006 and 2007 Reclamation (the youngest) has the <br />greatest amount of annual/biennial plant cover and that the proportion of vegetation cover <br />comprised of these plants is distinctly less as reclamation age increases (i.e. 2004 Reclamation <br />has the least annual/biennial cover of the reclaimed areas). The 2004 annual/biennial cover (4- <br />year old vegetation) is less than half of the 2006 Reclamation (2-year old vegetation). Using the <br />Figure 5 illustration as typical, cover by native perennial forbs makes a substantial increase (>2x) <br />in cover over the period of maturation from age two to age four. <br />• <br />The distribution of species density by lifeform (Figure 4) shows that the 2004, 2006, and 2007 <br />Reclaimed Areas are more similar to the reference areas than would appear to be the case from <br />the lifeform distribution of relative cover (Figure 5). This is important in that it shows that the <br />basic components of the original ecosystem have indeed been returned and that it is a matter of <br />relative proportions and successional status that separates the reclaimed from the native <br />vegetation. Perhaps the largest difference with regard to species density is in the native <br />perennial forbs category, where native areas (at least the most extensive native types of <br />Mountain Brush and Sagebrush) tend to have more species of native perennial forbs per 100 <br />sq.m. In addition, the young reclaimed areas tend to have more species per 100 sq.m. in the <br />lifeforms introduced annual/biennial forbs and introduced annual grasses . <br />16