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| General Description |
This habitat consists of thickets of Willows, Alders, Buttonbushes, Mallows and other shrubs growing in shrub swamps or along the shorelines of ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams. Shrubs in this habitat are tolerant of frequent flooding and can grow in at least shallow impoundments. Most require at least partial sun, as is usually available in the edge habitats they occupy. Species that are tolerant of prolonged deep shade and that occur in bottomland forests and swamps are placed in the General Wet Shrublands habitat.
Beaver ponds were historically important sites for this habitat and the most extensive examples are associated with shallow impoundments. Given the transient nature of beaver ponds and the high species turnover along the frequently flooded species, the Determining Species in this habitat are colonizing species and are often among the first to pioneer newly created or regenerating ponds and shorelines. The colonizing ability of this group, along with their ability to occupy shallow wetlands allows them to make use of ditches, borrow pits, farm ponds, and other artificial wetlands.
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| Abiotic Factors |
Geographic Regions: High Mountains to the Lower Coastal Plain. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8. Landform: restricted to floodplains and wet flats. Soil Moisture: wet to hydric. Soil Texture: alluvial/loamy, silty, or sandy. Soil pH: acidic to circumneutral -- includes blackwater as well as brownwater floodplains. Soil Nutrients: poor to rich. Microclimate: warm to cool, humid. Flood Frequency: several times per year to permanent. Flood Duration: weeks to months or permanent. Presence of Pools: common; both permanent and ephemeral ponds and pools may be used. Fire Frequency: uncommon in bottomlands but frequent when adjoining fire-maintained habitats. Drought Frequency: rare. Ice Storm Damage: low to moderate. Wind Storm Damage: moderate. Insolation: rarely deeply shaded, receiving either full or partial sun at some point during most days
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| Biotic Structure |
Vegetation Type: shrubland or low open forest. Strata: often located at the edge of closed canopy forests but not growing directly beneath them; cattails and other marsh species may be intermixed with the shrubs but are treated here as belonging to a separate habitat type. Organic Shelter, Foraging, and Nesting Structures: fallen logs and broken branches are common; leaf litter is submerged for extensive periods in swamps and species that depend on dry leaf litter are treated in other habitats. Shrub thickets of all types provide important sites for nesting, foraging, and sheltering used by many birds and other animals (see General Shrublands and Thickets).
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
Phagic and Competitory Symbioses:
Alnus species // Acrobasis rubrifasciella-Acronicta hastulifera-Anania extricalis-Baileya doubledayi-Caloptilia glutinella-Hypena eductalis-Kybos unica
Cephalanthus occidentalis/Ledaea perditalis-Melanomma auricinctaria-Mompha cephalonthiella-Mompha solomoni
Mallow species // Bagisara rectifascia-Tarache aprica
Willow species // Acronicta connecta-Aristotelia fungivorella-Cabera variolaria-Catocala cara-Catocala carissima-Colobochyla interpuncta-Coptodisca saliciella-Digrammia gnophosaria-Erythridula rufostigmosa-Erythroneura rosa-Limenitis archippus-Macropsis decisa-Macropsis reversalis-Olethreutes fasciatana-Phyllonorycter auronitens-Scoliopteryx libatrix-Smerinthus jamaicensis-Stigmella fuscotibiella
Willow and Poplar species // Caloptilia stigmatella-Paraleucoptera albella-Phyllonorycter salicifoliella
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| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
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| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
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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 |
2022-02-04 16:30:24 |
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