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| General Description |
This habitat comprises all forests that contain species of oaks or hickories. This general category spans a wide range of environmental conditions, from mesic, high elevation forests containing North Red Oaks, to hot, dry maritime forests on the Barrier Islands that support Live Oaks. Both closed-canopy stands are included as well as relative open woodlands; stands growing on uplands are represented as well as those growing in bottomlands or even swamps. No distinction is made relative to soil nutrients or pH.
No single species of oak or hickory spans this entire range. Consequently, the trees that are the key feature of this habitat are themselves members of habitats to which they show much higher individual fidelity. The Determining Species of this habitat are instead primarily stenophagous herbivores that specialize on oak or hickories at the generic level. Additionally included are a few species of mammals that are dependent on acorns and/or hickory nuts for a large part of their diet. Although less specific than the relationship between the herbivores and their host species, nut feeding species also belong to a long-co-evolved relationship with their food plants, serving as major dispersers of the trees' seeds.
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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; more rarely hydric. Soil texture: loamy, sandy, to alluvial. Soil pH: acidic to circumneutral. Soil Nutrient Content: rich to relatively poor.Microclimate: Warm and dry to cool and humid. Hydrological Features: springs, seeps, and streams are common; some examples occur along river shorelines Flood Frequency: ridges and 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; permanent in the swamps occupied by Overcup Oak Fire Frequency: frequent in the sandhills but rare in the bottomlands and mesic slopes. Drought Frequency: occasional on upper slopes, rare in bottomlands. Ice Storm Damage: low to moderate. Wind Storm Damage: moderate. Insolation: most Maples are tolerant of shade and Red Maple in particular is also tolerant of sun, being a common pioneering species in old field succession.
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| Biotic Structure |
Key Species one or mores species of Quercus or Carya must be present Vegetation Type: open woodlands or closed-canopy forests. Strata: sparse to well-developed. Shelter: woody debris and leaf litter are generally plentiful
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| Co-evolved Species Groups |
Phagic and Competitory Symbioses:
Carya species // Acrobasis caryae-Acrobasis caryalbella-Acrobasis exsulella-Acrobasis stigmella-Acrobasis tumidulella-Catocala dejecta-Catocala epione-Catocala lacrymosa-Catocala palaeogama-Catocala vidua-Coptodisca lucifluella-Ectoedemia trinotata-Eratoneura era-Eratoneura osborni-Phyllonorycter caryaealbella-Stigmella caryaefoliella
Carya tomentosa// Acrobasis elyi
Fagaceae species // Acronicta increta-Acronicta ovata-Cameraria castaneaeella-Coptotriche citrinipennella-Coptotriche fuscomarginella-Coptotriche zelleriella-Ophiderma definita-Dyseriocrania griseocapitella-Macrurocampa marthesia-Meganola phylla-Neurobathra strigifinitella-Oligocentria lignicolor-Panopoda rufimargo-Pseudexentera haracana-Psilocorsis quercicella-Symmerista albifrons-Symmerista canicosta-Tischeria quercitella
Juglandaceae species // Acrobasis caryaevorella-Cameraria caryaefoliella-Catocala flebilis
Quercus alba // Acronicta exilis-Acronicta immodica-Acronicta modica-Cameraria hamadryadella-Coptotriche badiiella-Cyrtolobus flavolatus-Ossiannilssonola tunicarubra
Quercus species // Acrobasis minimella-Acrocercops albinatella-Acronicta afflicta-Acronicta increta-Acronicta lobeliae-Acronicta ovata- Anisota virginiensis-Antaeotricha humilis-Antaeotricha osseella-Antaeotricha schlaegeri-Archasia auriculata- Archasia pallida-Arogalea cristifasciella-Blastobasis glandulella-Bucculatrix ainsliella-Cameraria fletcherella- Cameraria cincinnatiella-Cameraria conglomeratella-Cameraria quercivorella-Catastega timidella-Catocala amica-Catocala connubialis-Catocala ilia-Catocala lineella-Catocala micronympha-Catocala umbrosa-Cissusa spadix-Coleotechnites quercivorella-Coptotriche castaneaeella-Cosmia calami-Cyclophora packardi-Cyrtolobus arcuatus-Cyrtolobus auroreus-Cyrtolobus dixianus-Cyrtolobus fenestratus-Cyrtolobus fuliginosus-Cyrtolobus fuscipennis-Cyrtolobus griseus-Cyrtolobus maculifrontis-Cyrtolobus pallidifrontis-Cyrtolobus togatus-Cyrtolobus tuberosus-Cyrtolobus vau-Ectoedemia similella-Empoa casta-Empoa rubricola-Eratoneura stephensoni-Erynnis juvenalis-Eutettix pictus-Glossonotus univittatus-Heterocampa obliqua-Heterocampa umbrata-Hyperstrotia secta-Meganola minuscula-Meganola spodia-Pubitelphusa latifasciella-Ophiderma evelyna-Ophiderma flavicephala-Ophiderma pubescens-Ophiderma salamandra-Ossiannilssonola australis-Ossiannilssonola berenice-Paraeschra georgica-Penthimia Americana-Peridea angulosa-Phoberia atomaris-Povolnya quercinigrella-Psaphida grandis-Psaphida resumens-Psaphida rolandi-Psaphida thaxterianus-Phyllonorycter aeriferella-Phyllonorycter argentifimbriella-Phyllonorycter basistrigella-Phyllonorycter fitchella-Phyllonorycter quercialbella-Rectiostoma xanthobasis-Rugosana querci-Stigmella quercipulchella-Stigmella sclerostylota-Telamona projecta-Telamona reclivata
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| Determining Species |
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| Estimated Risk to the Determining Species |
Several leaf-mining moths in this habitat have not received much attention in biodiversity surveys and have uncertain State Ranks. Two are known only from historic records but are assigned a rank here of SHS1, indicating some doubt about the status of SH; this rank is not assigned a PE value in this analysis. The Average PE is equivalent to a State Rank of S3, indicating a moderate level of conservation concern.
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| Estimated Risk to the Co-evolved Species Groups |
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| Estimated Security of the Habitat |
Thirty-one species in this habitat are considered secure in North Carolina. The Proportion of Secure Species is 30%, which is moderately high. These relatively high values reflect the fact that Oak-Hickory forests are still widespread across the state and are represented by large blocks of habitat or well-connected smaller tracts.
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| Index of Habitat Imperilment |
Although the ENE value is low and the PSS value moderately high, the large number of species in this habitat gives it a moderately high HRI value, falling within our Tier 3 Level of Conservation Concern (0.5 ≥ HRI > 0.05) and meriting a moderate priority for conservation actions. Given the key importance of this habitat across the state, any significant reduction or fragmentation would be cause for serious concern.
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| Identified Risks |
A number of diseases of oaks have been documented in North Carolina (Eshleman and Oten, 2022), several of which can cause mortality in their hosts. So far, however, major decimating diseases, such Sudden Oak Death caused by Phytophthora ramorum, have not yet appeared in North Carolina.
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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 |
Eshelman, R. and Oten, K. 2022. Common Disease Pests of Oak in North Carolina. NC Extension Service. Available online at: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/common-disease-pests-of-oak-in-north-carolina |
| Updated on |
2022-08-26 20:53:29 |
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