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| General Description |
This habitat consists of open, herb-dominated habitats, including both natural and strongly human-modified examples, including cultivated fields, gardens, abandoned quarries, borrow areas, and other lands where the natural vegetation has been scraped away.
Determining species include what are regarded as highly "weedy" species, possessing high colonizing abilities as well as tolerances for human activities, including frequent clearance and other modifications of the vegetation. Although all of these species are native, several have become some of the most important pest species of croplands. A relative few -- mainly butterflies -- have become welcome garden visitors.
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| Abiotic Factors |
Geographic Regions: Lower Coastal Plain to High Mountains. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8. Landform: ridges, slopes, bottomlands, and wet flats. Slope Aspect: occurs on all slopes aspects as well as on ridges and flats. Soil Moisture: Dry to wet. Soil texture: sandy to loamy to alluvial. Soil pH: circumneutral to acidic. Soil Nutrient Content: rich to poor. Microclimate: Warm to cool; humid to dry. Hydrological Features: surface waters are common to scarce. Flood Frequency: varies from occasionally to never flooded. Flood Duration: nonexistent to transitory. Fire Frequency: common to rare. Drought Frequency: frequent to rare. Insolation: full sun to partial shade
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| Biotic Structure |
Vegetation Type: open herblands and/or shrublands, including both fallow and cultivated croplands, gardens, and ruderal barrens. Organic Shelter, Foraging, and Nesting Structures: woody debris and leaf litter are essentially absent but cardboard boxes and other trash are common, particularly in ruderal examples and can provide important shelter and foraging areas for some members of this habitat.
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
None have been identified among these highly generalized species |
| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
Only one species in this habitat, Marsh Parsley, is ranked as high as S3. This species is at the edge of its range in North Carolina and should possibly be classified as exotic (LeGrand, Sorrie, and Howard, accessed 2022). The Average Probability of Extirpation is equivalent of a state rank of S4 under our model.
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| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
22 species in this habitat -- 61% -- are considered Secure in North Carolina. This reflects the widespread and well-connected nature of this habitat, as well as the tolerance of its species to human activities and habitat modification.
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| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
The combination of a low value of ENE, a high value of PSS, and no identified Historic or Extirpated Species, makes the value of HRI quite low, falling within our Tier 4 (0.05 ≥ HRI > 0.005) Level of Conservation Concern. Only a low priority exists for conservation actions.
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| Identified Risks |
Herbicides and insecticides that are aimed at pest species can have severe impacts on non-target species, including those associated with this habitat, which often live close to areas where these chemicals are applied.
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| Observed Trends |
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| Distribution Map | |
| Distribution |
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| Major Conservation Reserves |
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| Priority Areas for Surveys and Conservation Protection |
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| Stewardship and Management Recommendations |
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| References |
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| Updated on |
2022-07-12 21:55:05 |
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