Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

found throughout

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class ...

ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by

shrub A shrub (often also called a 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 tree ...

s and dwarf oaks. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ...

one.

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s infrequently occur in the Florida scrub. Most of the annual rainfall (about ) falls in summer. It is endangered by residential, commercial and agricultural development, with the largest remaining block in and around the

Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers of northern Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National Fo ...

. Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge also holds a high proportion of remaining scrub habitat, while the

Archbold Biological Station The Archbold Biological Station (ABS) is a research institute with a surrounding estate near Lake Placid, Florida, USA. It includes an extensive area of Florida scrub, a scientifically interesting and highly threatened ecosystem. It was establ ...

near Lake Placid contains about of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it.

Plant communities

There is a high level of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

in the flora and fauna, including an estimated 40 species of plants, 4 vertebrates and at least 46 species of

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

found nowhere else.

Florida peninsula inland scrub

Florida peninsula inland scrub is the plant community for which this ecoregion is named. Clumps of sand pines (''Pinus clausa'') constitute the canopy. Common plant species include sand live oak (''Quercus geminata''), myrtle oak (''Q. myrtifolia''), sandhill oak (''Q. inopina''), Chapman oak (''Q. chapmanii''), Florida rosemary (''Ceratiola ericoides''), scrub palmetto (''Sabal etonia''),

saw palmetto ''Serenoa repens'', commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole species currently classified in the genus ''Serenoa''. It is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around . It is endemic to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern Unite ...

(''Serenoa repens''),

garberia ''Garberia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing the single species ''Garberia heterophylla''.fetterbush lyonia (''Lyonia lucida''), rusty staggerbush (''L. ferruginea''), cup lichens (''Cladonia'' spp.), scrub holly (''Ilex opaca'' var. ''arenicola''), American olive (''Osmanthus americanus'' var. ''megacarpus''), flag-pawpaw (''Asimina obovata''), silk bay (''Persea humilis''), Adam's needle (''Yucca filamentosa''), and eastern prickly pear (''Opuntia humifusa''). Florida scrub jay (4156613199)

Longleaf pine sandhill

Florida longleaf pine sandhills are often found adjacent to the scrub. They consist of stands of longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') on very well-drained, sandy hills. These stands are maintained by frequent fires.

Turkey oak Turkey oak is a common name for several species of oaks and may refer to: *''Quercus cerris'', native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor *''Quercus laevis ''Quercus laevis'', the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is na ...

(''Quercus laevis'') is common in the understory and pineland threeawn (''Aristida stricta'') makes up the ground layer.

Oak dome and hammock

The southern coastal plain oak dome and hammocks occur as thick stands of evergreen oaks in small patches on shallow depressions or slight hills. These forests are distinct from their surrounding habitats, which are often dominated by longleaf pine. On mesic sites, common species are southern live oak (''Quercus virginiana''), sand laurel oak (''Q. hemisphaerica''), and American persimmon (''Diospyros virginiana''). The understory is sparse, with trumpet creeper (''Campsis radicans'') and greenbriers (''Smilax'' spp). On xeric sites, common species are sand live oak (''Quercus geminata''), southern live oak (''Q. virginiana''), longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris''), pineland threeawn (''Aristida stricta''), and southern dawnflower (''Stylisma humistrata'').

Highlands freshwater marsh

Floridian highlands freshwater marshes are highland

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found ...

es found in shallow peat-filled valleys, the basins of dried lakes, and the borders of existing lakes. The vegetation mosaic includes a range of mostly herbaceous plant communities, varying based on water depth. Deep water supports various submerged and floating plants. Meter-deep water supports emergent

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition o ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s, typically in dense, monospecific stands, such as

bulrush Bulrush is a vernacular name for several large wetland grass-like plants *Sedge family (Cyperaceae): **''Cyperus'' **'' Scirpus'' **''Blysmus'' **''Bolboschoenus'' **'' Scirpoides'' **'' Isolepis'' **'' Schoenoplectus'' **'' Trichophorum'' * T ...

(''Typha latifolia''), pickerelweed (''Pontederia cordata''), and

American lotus ''Nelumbo lutea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. Common names include American lotus, yellow lotus, water-chinquapin, and volée. It is native to North America. The botanical name ''Nelumbo lutea'' Willd. is the c ...

(''Nelumbo lutea''). Shallow areas submerged only during the wet season support more

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

es, including maidencane (''Panicum hemitomon'') and southern cutgrass (''Leersia hexandra'').

Subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope mov ...

and drainage pattern changes make these habitats shift and change over time. Soils can be mucky, loamy, or sandy, but they are generally above permeable subsoils that create standing water much of the year. These marshes may also be called meadows or prairies.

Nonriverine basin swamp

Southern coastal plain nonriverine basin swamps occur in large, seasonally-flooded depressions away from rivers. Sites are often forested in trees such as

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide ...

(''Taxodium distichum''), swamp tupelo (''Nyssa biflora''), and sometimes slash pine (''Pinus elliottii''). Characteristic shrubs include buckwheat tree (''Cliftonia monophylla''), swamp cyrilla (''Cyrilla racemiflora''), laurelleaf greenbrier (''Smilax laurifolia''), and fetterbush lyonia (''Lyonia lucida'').

Animals

Notable animals of the Florida scrub include the Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens''), the endemic Florida mouse (''Podomys floridanus''), sand skink (''Neoseps reynoldsi''), bluetail mole skink (''Plestiodon egregius lividus''), Florida scrub lizard (''Sceloporus woodi''), Florida worm lizard (''Rhineura floridana''), and the

gopher tortoise The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provid ...

which is an important

keystone species A keystone species is a species which has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance, a concept introduced in 1969 by the zoologist Robert T. Paine. Keystone species play a critical role in maintaini ...

Notes

External links

* {{cite web , first=N. D. , last=Deyrup , author2=Wilson, C. B. , year=2000 , title=Discovering Florida Scrub: Exploring science in a native ecosystem , publisher=

, url=http://www.archbold-station.org/discoveringflscrub/ , access-date=2007-03-05 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202173423/http://www.archbold-station.org/discoveringflscrub/ , archive-date=2007-02-02

External links

Archbold Station.org: An introduction to Florida scrub
Temperate coniferous forests of the United States Ecoregions of Florida Forests of Florida * * Nearctic ecoregions

Plant communities

Florida peninsula inland scrub

Longleaf pine sandhill

Oak dome and hammock

Highlands freshwater marsh

Nonriverine basin swamp

Animals

See also

Notes

External links

External links