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Sandhills in the coastal plain of North America
This xeric fire-maintained ecosystem features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.
Entisols are the typical sandhill soil, deep well-drained and nutrient poor. In Florida, sandhills receive 130 cm of rainfall per year, just like the more hydric ecosystems surrounding them. Sandhills are xeric because they have poor water holding capacity.
Dominant vegetation includes longleaf pine Pinus palustris, American turkey oak Quercus laevis, and wiregrass Aristida stricta. A number of rare animals are typical of this habitat including the gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus, red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis, Sherman's fox squirrel Sciurus niger, and striped newts Notophthalmus perstriatus. Invasive species that are a problem on sandhills include cogon grass, Camphor laurels (Cinnamomum camphora), and Natal grass.
Sandhills in other parts of the world
The highest point on Moreton Island, Australia is Mount Tempest, which at 280 metres, is the highest coastal sandhill in the world.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia, 187. ISBN 1975992472.
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