HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Middle Atlantic coastal forests are a
temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needle ...
mixed with patches of evergreen broadleaved forests (closer to the Atlantic coast) along the coast of the
southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern ...
.


Setting

The Middle Atlantic coastal forests stretch along the Southern
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
coast of the United States from extreme
South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrativ ...
south to the
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
coast. They cover the lower
Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
and are bordered on the west by the
Southeastern mixed forests The Southeastern mixed forests are an ecoregion of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome, in the lower portion of the Eastern United States. Setting This ecoregion covers the Piedmont region of the eastern United States, stretching in a ...
. The habitats of the ecoregion are constantly modified by natural processes. The bottomlands, coastal plains, and maritime areas are vulnerable to
tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
and floods. The drier areas with porous sandy soils are susceptible to fires and drought. Fire return intervals of 1 to 3 years favor
herbaceous plant 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 of ...
s; longer intervals favor dense shrubs, to broadleaved evergreen trees.


Climate

This ecoregion has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40� ...
with hot summers and mild winters, and with the heaviest precipitation concentrated in the warmest months.


Flora

Two basic types of forests are found in this region; 1) Southern mixed hickory-pine-oak forests that see frequent fire with sandy soils, and 2) isolated patches of evergreen broadleaved forests and " hammocks" close to the Atlantic coastline in the southernmost areas in coastal
South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
and coastal
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. The mixed pine-oak forests occur on dry or sandy soils or in areas exposed to occasional fires. Longleaf pine (''
Pinus palustris The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...
''), superbly adapted to fire-prone environments, was the principal tree in many of these forests; however, extensive logging and human development have reduced this trees occurrence to less than 5% of its former range. Loblolly pine (''
Pinus taeda ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...
'') and shortleaf pine (''
Pinus echinata ''Pinus echinata'', the shortleaf pine, is a species of pine native to the southeastern United States. Description The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. The tree reaches heights of with a ...
'') grow in sandy soils and are still dominant in this ecosystem. Loblolly is widely planted on millions of acres of plantation forest's across the southeastern US. On moist soils or where fires are infrequent,
hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes ...
s overtake the pines. These hardwoods include turkey oak (''
Quercus laevis ''Quercus laevis'', the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is native to the southeastern United States. The name turkey oak derives from the resemblance of the leaves to a turkey's foot. A Turkish and southern European sp ...
''), post oak (''
Quercus stellata ''Quercus stellata'', the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to r ...
''), myrtle oak ('' Quercus myrtifolia''), Spanish oak ('' Quercus falcata''), and southern catalpa (''
Catalpa bignonioides ''Catalpa bignonioides'' is a species of ''Catalpa'' that is native to the southeastern United States in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Common names include southern catalpa, cigartree, and Indian-bean-tree (or Indian bean ...
''). Evergreen broadleaved forests occur close to the coast in localized areas as either evergreen Maritime oak forests or as more localized evergreen hammocks(geographically induced forest islands) (Box 1985). These forests consist of evergreen broadleaved canopy trees, such as
Magnolia grandiflora ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is ...
, Magnolia virginiana,
Persea borbonia ''Persea borbonia'' or redbay is a small, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to the southeastern United States. It belongs to the genus '' Persea'', a group of evergreen trees including bays and the avocado. ''Persea borbonia ...
, Gordonia lasianthus,
Sabal ''Sabal'' is a genus of palms (or fan-palms) endemic to the New World. Currently, there are 17 recognized species of ''Sabal'', including one hybrid species. The species are native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, from th ...
, and several evergreen oaks such as Quercus myrtifolia, and the iconic
Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old Sou ...
or southern Live Oak often covered with
Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Un ...
(Tillandsia usneoides). The understory is also often evergreen in these forests, with
Myrica cerifera ''Myrica cerifera'' is a small evergreen tree or large shrub native to North and Central America and the Caribbean. Its common names include southern wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry, bayberry tree, and tallow shrub. It sees uses both i ...
and Osmanthus americanus very common, while several evergreen species of
Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...
,
Ilex ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
, and scrub palms (
Sabal minor ''Sabal minor'', commonly known as the dwarf palmetto, is a small species of palm. It is native to the deep southeastern and south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. It is naturally found in a diversity of habitats, including maritime ...
and
Serenoa ''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 United S ...
) are common on more moist sites. In the open areas near sandy beaches and coastal areas, large endemic populations of
Yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flo ...
and cactus (
Opuntia ''Opuntia'', commonly called prickly pear or pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as ''tuna'' (fruit), ''sabra'', ''nopal'' (paddle, plural ''nopales'') from the Nahuatl word f ...
) thrive in the hot sun and sandy soils. The Middle Atlantic coastal forests contain the most diverse assemblage of freshwater wetland communities in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...
. These include freshwater marshes, shrub bogs, white cedar swamps, bayheads, and wet hammocks. The
bottomland hardwood forest The bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous and evergreen hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes in the United States and elsewhere. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial s ...
s for which the ecoregion is famous are dominated by bald cypress (''
Taxodium distichum ''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 r ...
'') and swamp tupelo ( ''Nyssa sylvatica'' var. ''biflora''). Bald cypress swamps are often dominated by their namesake tree, and are too wet for foot travel. Many uncommon
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
s grow among the baldcypress branches. Swamp tupelo, along with water tupelo (''
Nyssa aquatica ''Nyssa aquatica'', commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus ''(Nyssa)'' that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United Stat ...
''), dominate mixed-hardwood swamp forests. These grow aside water-adapted oaks that include water oak (''
Quercus nigra ''Quercus nigra'', the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''), native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kent ...
''), swamp chestnut oak ('' Quercus michauxii''), cherrybark oak ('' Quercus pagoda''), willow oak (''
Quercus phellos ''Quercus phellos'', the willow oak, is a North American species of a deciduous tree in the red oak group of oaks. It is native to the south-central and eastern United States. Description It is a medium-sized tree growing to tall (exceptiona ...
''), and overcup oak ('' Quercus lyrata''). Swamp hickory (''
Carya glabra ''Carya glabra'', the pignut hickory, is a common, but not abundant species of hickory in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States and Canada. Other common names are pignut, sweet pignut, coast pignut hickory, smoothbark ...
'') and water hickory ('' Carya aquatica'') are also found here. Pawpaw (''
Asimina triloba ''Asimina triloba'', the American papaw, pawpaw, paw paw, or paw-paw, among many regional names, is a small deciduous tree native to the eastern United States and Canada, producing a large, yellowish-green to brown fruit. ''Asimina'' is the on ...
'') grows in the understory. Atlantic white cedar (''
Chamaecyparis thyoides ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to Geo ...
'') swamps occur along
blackwater river A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black tea. ...
s.
Pocosin A pocosin is a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils. Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts. Pocosin soils are nutrient-deficient (oligotrophic), especiall ...
s are flat and damp, sandy, or peaty areas far from streams. They have scattered pond pine ('' Pinus serotina'') and a dense growth of mostly evergreen shrubs including gallberry (''
Ilex glabra ''Ilex glabra'', also known as Appalachian tea, dye-leaves, evergreen winterberry, gallberry, and inkberry, is a species of evergreen holly native to the coastal plain of eastern North America, from coastal Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Lo ...
'').
Barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a ...
s along the coast protect extensive estuaries, lagoons, and sounds.
Carolina bay Carolina bays are elliptical to circular depressions concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard within coastal New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and north Florida.Kaczorowski, R. T. (1977) ' ...
s are a unique habitat of the ecoregion.


Fauna

The nine-banded armadillo (''
Dasypus novemcinctus The nine-banded armadillo (''Dasypus novemcinctus''), also known as the nine-banded long-nosed armadillo or common long-nosed armadillo, is a mammal found in North, Central, and South America, making it the most widespread of the armadillos. I ...
'') is a distinctive animal that lives in this ecoregion. The Virginia opossum ('' Didelphis virginiana'') is abundant. In the mixed pine-oak forests, the brown-headed nuthatch ('' Sitta pusilla'') feeds on pine seeds. The yellow-throated warbler ('' Dendroica dominica'') is widely distributed. The northern parula ('' Parula americana'') and the eastern bluebird ('' Sialia sialis'') are also found here. The Bachman's sparrow ('' Aimophila aestivalis'') and red-cockaded woodpecker ('' Picoides borealis''), both uncommon, also live in this ecoregion. The bottomland forests support abundant arthropods, produce mast that sustains migratory birds during the winter, and produce boles, branch cavities, and rotting logs that support various
detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...
s and hole-nesting species. In the extreme southeast regions (coastal southeast North Carolina south to Georgia) the large
American alligator The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the ge ...
(Alligator mississippiensis) can be found along tidal inlets and marsh areas.


Contemporary land use

The main causes of habitat conversion are agriculture,
fire suppression Wildfire suppression is a range of firefighting tactics used to suppress wildfires. Firefighting efforts in wild land areas require different techniques, equipment, and training from the more familiar structure fire fighting found in populated a ...
,
urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly th ...
, coastal development, ditching and draining of wetlands, and damming of rivers. The western part of the ecoregion has been most altered. There, the upland vegetation has been nearly completely converted. Long-leaf pine savannas have nearly disappeared. The least altered habitats in the ecoregion are the coastal marshes and deep
peatlands A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...
.


Remaining intact habitat

*
Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests e ...
(SC) *
Pine Barrens Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pineland areas occur throughout the U.S. from Florida to Maine (see Atlantic coastal pine barrens) as well as the Midwest, West, and Canada and parts of Eurasia. Perhaps the most well known pine-b ...
(NJ) * Holly Shelter Gamelands (NC) *
Croatan National Forest The Croatan National Forest ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
Congaree National Park Congaree National Park is a American national park in central South Carolina, 18 miles southeast of the state capital, Columbia. The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush tr ...
(SC) *
Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...
(NC) * Pamlimarle Peninsula (NC) *
Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for migratory birds located east of Milton, Delaware, United States. It was established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 on along the western shore of Delaware Bay. The refuge contains a v ...
(DE) *
Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...
(VA) * Sandhills Gameland (NC) * Sandhill National Wildlife Refuge (SC) *
Great Dismal Swamp The Great Dismal Swamp is a large swamp in the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is located in parts of the southern Virginia indep ...
(VA and NC) * Great Cypress Swamp (DE and MD) *
Assateague Island Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of the Delmarva Peninsula facing the Atlantic Ocean. The northern two-thirds of the island is in Maryland while the southern third is in Virginia. The Maryland se ...
(MD and VA) * Virginia Coast Reserve (VA) * Cape Romain (SC) *
Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
(NC) * Fort Jackson (SC) *
Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...
(GA) * Cape May National Wildlife Refuge (NJ)


See also

*
List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF) The following is a list of ecoregions in the United States as identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The United States is a megadiverse country with a high level of endemism across a wide variety of ecosystems. Terrestrial ecore ...


References

{{Geography topics Ecoregions of the United States Temperate coniferous forests Nearctic ecoregions