Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
| Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests | |
|---|---|
 Hanson's Point in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky |
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| Ecology | |
| Biome | Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest |
| Borders | |
| Bird species | 200[1] |
| Mammal species | 73[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 192,200 km2 (74,200 sq mi) |
| Country | United States |
| States | |
| Conservation | |
| Habitat loss | 14.8%[1] |
| Protected | 8.37%[1] |
The Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests are an ecoregion of mesophytic plants west of the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.
Contents |
[edit] Setting
This ecoregion is located in the plains and hill country west of the Appalachians in northwest Alabama and east central Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, western North Carolina, most of West Virginia, western Maryland, southeastern Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania. These forests are known for their rich diversity of plants and animals, which is due to several contributing factors, especially that the area was an unglaciated refugia for many species. It shares species with the high elevation Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests to the east, the hardwood forests to the west, and the mixed hardwood/conifer forests to the south.
[edit] Climate
The climate varies from humid continental in the north to humid subtropical in the south.
[edit] Flora
They are one of the most biologically diverse temperate forest regions on earth. It has an unusually diverse tree flora, with as many as 30 tree species at a single site including many relics of the ancient forest that once covered North America more widely. Along with the forest there is a rich undergowth of ferns, fungi, herbaceous plants, shrubs and small trees as well as areas of glade, heath, shale, peat bog and cranberry bog.
A variety of forest types are found at lower elevations. These forest include magnolias (Magnolia spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), hickories (Carya spp.), walnuts (Juglans spp.), elms (Ulmus spp.), birches (Betula spp.), ashes (Fraxinus spp.), basswoods (Tilia spp.), maples (Acer spp.), locusts (Robinia spp.), and pines (Pinus spp.). Other trees found here are tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), black cherry (Prunus serotina), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and yellow buckeye (Aesculus octandra). American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once a dominant canopy species, but its populations were devastated early in the 20th century by the chestnut blight fungus. The Allegheny plum (Prunus alleghaniensis) is endemic.
Higher elevation forests towards the east have yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), mountain maple (Acer spicatum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), beech (Fagus grandifolia), and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.) are found in the understory.
More unique, restricted habitats within these forests include glades, heath barrens, shale barrens, and sphagnum bogs. These often support endemic plants and land snails.
Cranberry bogs harbor species typical of ecoregions found to the north. These species include cranberry and blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), and buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata). These bogs are relicts that have survived since the last glacial period. Nearby high elevation forests support tree species that are also typical of northern ecoregions. These include Canada yew (Taxus canadensis), eastern larch (Larix laricina), red pine (Pinus resinosa), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea).
[edit] Prehistoric period
During the Last Glacial Maximum about 18,000 years ago, the influence of Arctic air masses and boreal vegetation extended to about 33° N. latitude, the approximate latitude of Birmingham and Atlanta. Forests of the glacial period were dominated by various spruces (Picea spp.) and jack pine; fir (Abies spp.) was abundant in some locations. With the exception of the absence of certain prairie elements, the understories of these forests were generally typical of modern spruce-fir forests within and near Canada. Temperate deciduous forests dominated from about 33° to 30° N. latitude, including most of the glacial Gulf Coast from about 84° W. longitude. Regional climate was similar to or slightly drier than modern conditions. Oak, hickory, chestnut, and southern pine species were abundant. Walnuts, beech, sweetgum, alder, birch, tulip poplar, elms, hornbeams (Carpinus spp.), basswoods, and others that are generally common in modern southern deciduous forests were also common then. Grasses, sedges, and sunflowers were also common.
[edit] Fauna
The woodlands of the area are rich in wildlife. In particular they are important habitat for migrating birds including wood warblers, vireos, and thrushes. The rivers of the ecoregion have the highest species richness of any freshwater ecosystem. In particular, there are a large number of endemic fish and shellfish species.
[edit] Threats
This ecoregion is considered critically endangered with 95% of the habitat degraded or converted to commercial forest. Large areas have been destroyed and fragmented through surface mining, including mountaintop removal. Large areas have also been logged and then converted to plantations of fast-growing tree species, such as Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) which are then used to produce wood pulp, which is particularly a problem in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Another threat to habitats come from growing numbers of deer. Major rivers in the ecoregion, such as the Tennessee River, have been dammed. This has resulted in the threatened or endangered status of many species of native fish, amphibeans, and shellfish.
[edit] Protected areas
The remaining forest is mostly found in protected areas including Daniel Boone National Forest and Blanton Forest in Kentucky; Frozen Head State Park, Scott State Forest, Fall Creek Falls State Park, South Cumberland State Park [2] in Tennessee; and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Tennessee and Kentucky [3]; Shawnee State Forest and Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio; Cranberry Wilderness and Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia; and Sipsey Wilderness and Talladega National Forest in Alabama.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J. et al (2010). Molnar, J. L.. ed. The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520262560. http://www.nature.org/ourscience/sciencefeatures/conservation-atlas-1.xml.
- ^ http://www.state.tn.us/environment/nh/natareas/savage/
- ^ http://www.nps.gov/biso/
- Ricketts, T.H., E. Dinerstein, D.M. Olson, C.J. Loucks, et al. (1999). Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund - United States and Canada. Island Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 337-340.
- National Geographic WildWorld ecoregion profile
- Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
- Owen, Wayne (2002). "Chapter 2 (TERRA–2): The History of Native Plant Communities in the South". Southern Forest Resource Assessment Final Report. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/sustain/report/terra2/terra2.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-29.
- Data source for map: Olson, D. M. and E. Dinerstein. The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. (PDF file) Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89:125-126.
[edit] See also
This ecoregions overlaps with the following EPA level III ecoregions:
