The Vegetative Communities Associated with Mammals of the South

The Vegetative Communities Associated with Mammals of the South Beverly Collins, Philip E. Hyatt, and Margaret K. Trani Introduction This chapter describes the ecoregions and vegetation (www.plants.usda.gov). Mammal species known to occur types associated with mammals of the South. The (or those with a high likelihood of occurrence) in each distribution of mammals in the South reflects historic terrestrial community are listed in Table 2.2. The veg- biogeographicalprocessesaswellasphysiography etation categories are superimposed on the National and vegetation. For example, there are clear differences Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units (Avers in the mammal fauna of the Blue Ridge Mountains as et al. 1994, Keys et al. 1995) and the ecoregions of the compared to that of the Coastal Plain physiographic United States (Bailey 1995). From interior to coastal area. Within the Coastal Plain there are differences in areas, these ecoregions are the Interior Low Plateau the mammal faunas among mesic pine flatwoods, and Highlands, Cumberland Plateau and Mountains, mixed hardwood forests, and floodplain forests. Blue Ridge and Ridge and Valley, and Coastal Plain Mammalian distributions are often best predicted at and Coastal Fringe. the scale of physiographic province (considering geo- morphology, soils, topography, and micro-climatic The Interior Low Plateau and Highlands differences) and broadly defined vegetation types. Within the broad vegetation categories, adherence to The western mesophytic/oak-hickory forest is broadly specific cover types may be of value in predicting the distributed over the Interior Low Plateau, Coastal presence or absence of a particular mammal; thus, the Plain, and Interior Highlands regions of western basic types of Hamel (1992) and Wilson (1995) are Kentucky, Tennessee, northern Mississippi, Alabama, incorporated within the vegetation descriptions in northern Arkansas, and portions of eastern Oklahoma this book. and eastern Texas. Dominant deciduous trees of this forest include white oak, northern red oak, black oak, Herein, the vegetation classification follows Martin bitternut hickory, and shagbark hickory. Common and others (1993a,b). Accounts are grouped by associates include sweet pignut hickory, white ash, ecoregion and are organized by geography from inte- black walnut, black cherry, chinquapin oak, American rior to coastal areas. For each broad vegetation type, basswood, and American elm (Bryant et al. 1993). plant species, physical features, and environmental Across the area, species associations reflect climatic influences on plant associations are described. Spe- moisture and temperature gradients as well as local cialized or relict habitats, such as mountain balds or topography. Bryant et al. (1993) describe a trend Carolina bays, are described within the broad vegeta- towards increasing dominance of oaks and hickories tion type. Aquatic and wetland habitats also are from east to west and an increase in pines from north described. The scientific names of plant species used to south. Pin oak and shingle oak are codominant in in this chapter are presented in Table 2.1. Common the north; to the south, black hickory, mockernut names were taken from the PLANTS Database hickory, southern red oak, overcup oak, Shumard oak, The Land Manager's Guide to Mammals of the South 11 The Vegetative Communities blackjack oak, and post oak occur widely depending pine forests, with Virginia pine, pitch pine, shortleaf on site quality. Xeric species occur on dry glades, pine, white oak, blackjack oak, or eastern white pine, steep slopes, and exposed surfaces; oaks and hicko- occurring on dry, sandy ridges; on upper slopes and ries are associated with ridges and upper slopes; and exposed sites, dry oak forests supporting blackjack mesic species are confined to sheltered areas (e.g., oak, post oak, and scarlet oak; mesic to dry forests ravines and coves). Aquatic and wetland habitat for having eastern white pine, chestnut oak, white oak, hydric species in this region includes riverine systems American beech, chinquapin oak, hickory, northern from springs to large rivers; palustrine wetlands in red oak, scarlet oak, and Virginia pine; mesic slopes the Mississippi River drainage; and lakes and supporting “typical” mixed mesophytic forests of reservoirs. American beech, tuliptree, white oak, sugar maple, shagbark hickory, northern red oak, white oak, white A number of types of open or grassland communities ash, black cherry, white basswood, yellow buckeye, occur as patches or remnants of historically wide- and chestnut oak; eastern hemlock, tuliptree, sweet spread vegetation, generally thought to have been birch, and white oak occur in cold-air-drainage or maintained by fire, within the western mesophytic wetter sites; lower slopes and swales support red forest region. In the Interior Highlands of northwest- maple, river birch, American holly, blackgum, and ern Arkansas, prairies on the Springfield Plateau and white oak; American sycamore occurs along headwa- in the Arkansas Valley support little bluestem, big ter and small streams and river birch, tuliptree, and bluestem, Indian grass and switch grass. Other prai- sweetgum occur along the larger streams that com- ries occur in Arkansas, western Kentucky, and Loui- prise most of the region’s aquatic habitat. Rhododen- siana (DeSelm and Murdock 1993) on loess or dron can form dense thickets in eastern hemlock alluvial deposits associated with the current or his- areas on north-facing slopes associated with acidic torical Mississippi River drainage. Barrens, which are soil and cold-air-drainage. deep-soil grassland with stunted trees and shrubs and scattered groves of trees (Baskin et al. 1999), Grasslands such as glades and barrens are less com- occur in the Central Basin of Tennessee and Alabama, mon in the Cumberland Plateau and Mountains Karst Plain of Kentucky and southern Indiana, and region than in the Interior Low Plateau. Sandstone Highland Rim of Tennessee. Plants common to many glades on the Cumberland Plateau in Alabama and barrens include little bluestem, Indian grass, and big Tennessee support lichen and moss mats. Deep soils bluestem. Both legumes and composites are well rep- support pineland three-awn grasses, little bluestem, resented. Cedar or limestone glade communities on and wild oat grass, and a variety of forbs including rocky or shallow soils are dominated by forbs and lance-leaf tickseed, Michaux’s wood-aster, Appala- grasses (Walker 2001). These communities occur chian stitchwort, and small-head gayfeather. Grasses, extensively in the Central Basin of Tennessee, northern legumes, and composites dominate barrens on the Alabama, and northern Arkansas and also are found Cumberland Plateau in both Tennessee and Kentucky in the Outer Bluegrass and Pennyroyal Plain areas of (DeSelm and Murdock 1993). The region has abun- Kentucky (Baskin and Baskin 1999). Glades support dant clifflines, rockhouses, caves, and surface mines grasses such as poverty dropseed and witchgrass, that often support a unique flora. For example, endemic herbs such as purpletassels and whiterim rockhouses with a cave-like environment support scurfpea, and scattered woody plants such as persim- mosses and ferns with tropical affinities (Farrar 1998) mon, eastern red cedar, and upland swamp privet and flowering plants such as Cumberland stitchwort (Baskin and Baskin 1999). Scattered open woodland and Lucy Braun’s snakewort. communities of southern Illinois, western Kentucky, and middle Tennessee, dominated by post oak, red The Blue Ridge and Ridge and Valley cedar, or chestnut oak, represent later successional vegetation of barrens or savanna communities This region includes the northern Blue Ridge and (Fralish et al. 1999). valleys of central and northern Virginia, and the southern Blue Ridge and valleys of eastern Tennessee, The Cumberland Plateau and Mountains western North Carolina, northwestern South Carolina, and northern Georgia. Broad vegetation types in this Mixed mesophytic forest covers the unglaciated region include spruce-fir and northern hardwoods southern portion of the Allegheny Mountains, Cum- (collectively considered in this guide as “high eleva- berland Mountains, and the Allegheny and Cumber- tion forests”), and Appalachian oak forests. These land Plateaus (Hinkle et al. 1993) from southwestern vegetation types are distributed along latitudinal and West Virginia south to Alabama. In this highly dis- elevation gradients, with local variation due to factors, sected region, species associations differ with topog- such as slope exposure, that influence moisture regimes. raphy and landform. The major forest types include: 12 The Land Manager's Guide to Mammals of the South The Vegetative Communities Appalachian oak forest covers low elevation ridges, association with red maple, Carolina silverbell, yel- slopes, and valleys of the northern and southern Blue low birch, eastern hemlock, American beech, and Ridge and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces. sugar maple. Other associates are American bass- This forest includes Virginia pine-pitch pine (yellow wood, white ash, black cherry, sweet birch, and east- pine), eastern hemlock-eastern white pine, cove for- ern white pine. Beech orchards or gaps dominated by est, and oak-hickory cover types of Hamel (1992) and American beech, yellow buckeye, yellow birch, red Wilson (1995). Forest communities vary within the maple, Carolina silverbell, and often some red broad Appalachian oak forest, but oak species occur

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