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| General Description |
This habitat consists of hardwood forests growing on mesic slopes and bottomlands, occurring across the state in association with both nutrient-rich, high pH soils and those that are nutrient-poor and acidic. As such, they are the most generalized of this group of habitats, overlapping those where soil types are restricted to one type of the other, or where the habitats are more restricted to certain geographic areas of the state.
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| Abiotic Factors |
Geographic Regions: Lower Coastal Plain to High Mountains. USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-8. Landform: slopes, bottomlands, and wet flats and occasionally on ridges. Slope Aspect: north and east facing on slopes, otherwise flat. Soil Moisture: Mesic to wet. Soil texture: loamy to silty, permitting burrowing by fossorial species; rocks are often present on the slopes and in the mountains extensive areas of talus can be present. Soil pH: acidic to circumneutral. Soil Nutrient Content: nutrient-poor to rich in mafic or calcareous minerals.Microclimate: Cool and humid. Hydrological Features: springs and seeps are common, particularly at the interface between slopes and bottomlands. Flood Frequency: upper slopes usually never flood but lower slopes and bottomlands may flood several times per year. Flood Duration: hours to days in the bottomlands and lower slopes. Fire Frequency: very rare. Drought Frequency: uncommon to rare. Ice Storm Damage: low to moderate. Wind Storm Damage: moderate. Insolation: canopies are well insolated, lower strata are deeply shaded.
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| Biotic Structure |
Vegetation Type: closed-canopy forest composed of broadleaf, deciduous trees. Strata: Subcanopy, shrub, and herb-layers are sparse and often very open; never as lush as in the Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests. Shelter: Woody debris and leaf litter are plentiful except in flood channels or other areas frequently scoured by floods.
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
Phagic and Competitory Symbioses:
Amphicarpaea bracteata // Macrosaccus morrisella
Bottomland Oak species // Phyllonorycter albanotella
Clematis species // Horisme intestinat
Viola species // Eubaphe mendica)
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| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
No S1 or S2 species are included in this habitat and the average probability of extirpation is only 0.00049. Under our model, that is equivalent to a state rank of S4.
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| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
21 of the Determining Species of this habitat are considered secure in North Carolina (state ranked as S5). The proportion of these secure species is 0.3962, which is moderately high. This reflects the fact that his habitat is widely distributed across the state, occurring as very large expanses -- e.g., along steep mountain slopes or along river bluffs and floodplains -- or as a large number of smaller but well connected occurrences.
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| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
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| Identified Risks |
In general, the risks to this habitat are the same as those for the Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests since they are not specific to soil chemistry, the main factor that distinguishes these two habitats. |
| Observed Trends |
See Rich Wet-Mesic Hardwood Forests |
| 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 |
2021-12-13 12:02:53 |
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