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| General Description |
The key factor for this habitat is the presence of Pines of any species. These otherwise include a wide range of environmental conditions: peatlands occupied by Pond Pines; savannas, flatwoods, and sandridges occupied by Longleaf Pines; bottomlands and dry-mesic uplands occupied by Loblollies; dry-mesic slopes supporting White Pines; and dry-xeric ridge tops occupied by Shortleaf, Virginia, Table Mountain, and Pitch Pines. Both purely natural stands and planted pine plantations are included.
None of the Pines, however, occur across this entire range; consequently the Pine species themselves are placed in separate habitats and are not Determining Species for this more generalized type. Instead, the Determining Species include animals, fungi, or other taxa that feed on Pinus species or that are dependent on pines for foraging or shelter.
This particular habitat is broadly distributed across the state. Other habitats that have Pines species as defining habitat factors but that are restricted to smaller regions of the state are treated separately.
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| Abiotic Factors |
Geographic Regions: Lower Coastal Plain to High Mountains. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8. Landform: bottomlands to ridgetops Slope Aspect: all slope aspects as well as flats and ridges. Soil Moisture: xeric to wet. Soil texture: sands, silts, loams, and peats. (b>Soil pH: typically acidic but can be circumneutral in brownwater bottomlands. Soil Nutrient Content: usually nutrient poor but rich in brownwater bottomlands. Microclimate: cool to warm; moist to dry. Fire Frequency: rare to frequent. Drought Frequency: rare to frequent. Ice Storm Damage: low to moderate. Wind Storm Damage: moderate. Insolation: canopies are well insolated; lower strata are usually only partially shaded where Pines are the dominant canopy species.
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| Biotic Structure |
Vegetation Type: closed- to open-canopy forests with a substantial number of Pines. Strata: Subcanopy, shrub, and herb-layers are present to poorly developed or absent. Woody debris and leaf litter: logs and fallen branches are common and loose bark on dead Pines are used as shelter by many species of herps and invertebrates; pine leaf litter can be thickly developed
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
Phagic and Competitory Symbioses:
Pinus species // Battaristis vittella-Caripeta aretaria -Citheronia sepulcralis-Dasychira manto-Dioryctria amatella-Dioryctria disclusa-Hypagyrtis esther-Lambdina pellucidaria-Lapara coniferarum-Macaria bicolorata-Macaria transitaria-Rhyacionia rigidana-Xestia elimata-Zale obliqua-Callophrys niphon
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| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
One species, Acmaeops discoideus, we rank as SHS1, meaning that the species has not been seen for over 20 years in North Carolina but has not been intensively looked for in the right habitats. All other species in this habitat are ranked lower than S2. The Average PE is equivalent to a State Rank of S3.
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| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
Nine species in this habitat are considered secure in North Carolina. The Proportion of Secure Species of 20% is moderately low. |
| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
The combination of a moderately low value of ENE, a moderately low value of PSS, and no identified Historic or Extirpated Species, makes the value of HRI moderately low, falling within our Tier 4 of
Conservation Concern (0.05 ≥ HRI > 0.005), indicating only a low priority for conservation efforts. |
| 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 21:37:08 |
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