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| General Description |
This habitat consists of shallow ponds supporting masses of aquatic plant species with floating stems and leaves. Examples include beaver ponds and artificial impoundments located along perennial streams, as well as isolated pools, particularly the large depressional wetlands that occur in the Coastal Plain. Oxbows and large openings along slow flowing rivers are also included. This is the most generalized of the vegetated pool habitats in the state, with examples found across at least two of the state's physiographic provinces. Vegetated pools in the Mountains and Coastal Plain that support different assemblages of species and are treated separately.
In addition to their characteristic plant species, a number of specialized herbivores are also Determining Species for this habitat. One predatory species, the Lilypad Forktail, that hunts primarily over lily pads and other floating vegetation is also included. Other animals that are associated with open, shallow ponds but that are not tied specifically to floating vegetation are treated in other habitats.
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| Abiotic Factors |
Geographic Regions: High Mountains to Lower Coastal Plain. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8. Landform: Open ponds located in stream and river floodplains and isolated ponds in poorly drained flats. Soil Moisture: hydric. Soil Texture: alluvial/loamy/silty/mucky. Soil pH: acidic to circumneutral -- includes blackwater as well as brownwater examples. Soil Nutrients: poor to rich. Microclimate: warm to cool, humid. Flood Frequency: permanently flooded. Flood Duration: year-round. Fire Frequency: generally not a factor except around the margins of the ponds; fires in depressional wetlands may be important for nutrient recycling. Drought Frequency: extremely rare. Insolation: full sun
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| Biotic Structure |
Vegetation Type: floating vegetation covering large areas of a pond's surface; trees and shrubs are very sparse or absent. Woody Debris: standing snags and fallen logs are a common feature of beaver ponds, especially in their earlier successional stages; woody debris may be nearly absent in depressional wetlands that are burned during pond drawdowns
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
Phagic and Competitory Symbioses:
Nuphar advena // Donacia piscatrix-Donacia proxima
Nymphaea species // Elophila gyralis
Lemna species // Elophila tinealis
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| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
This habitat contains two species ranked as S1 and four ranked as S2. Overall, the Average PE is equivalent to a State Rank of S2, indicating a high degree of conservation concern. |
| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
Only two species belonging to this habitat are considered secure in North Carolina. The Proportion of Secure Species of 7% is fairly low. This probably reflects the fact that these habitats are sparsely distributed across the state with very few large or well-connected examples.
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| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
The high value of ENE, low value of PSS, and the presence of one SH species combine to produce a fairly high value of HRI, falling within our Tier 2 of Conservation Concern (5 ≥ HRI > 0.5), meriting a high priority for conservation actions.
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| Identified Risks |
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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 |
2023-01-24 21:44:18 |
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