Rockland Hardwood Hammocks Florida

The pine rocklands are a critically imperiled ecosystem located in southern florida the bahamas turks and caicos islands and cuba its location in south florida and throughout the caribbean archipelago straddles the southern and northern ends of the temperate and tropical flora ranges respectively.

Rockland hardwood hammocks florida.

Pinelands and tropical hardwood hammocks cover virtually all of these outcrops and are considered as rockland ecosystems. If you were to look straight up you might have trouble seeing the sun and sky because of all the trees growing close together. Hardwood hammock hardwood hammocks are located from the coastal strand inland to wetlands prairies and flat woods and vary from mesic moist to 8eric dry habitats. Broadleaved evergreen and semi deciduous species include red maple mahogany gumbo limbo coco plum florida elm holly marlberry mulberry and southern magnolia.

Each animal found on the refuge has a specific type of habitat that it prefers and needs to survive. Hardwood hammocks outside of the florida keys. Hardwoods are broad leaved trees that grow well in the everglades. In such cases when fire is excluded from pine rockland for 15 25 years it can succeed to rockland hammock vegetation wade et al.

Tropical hardwood hammocks are found in south florida or the everglades with large concentrations on the miami rock ridge in the florida keys along the northern shores of florida bay and in the pinecrest region of the. The most important part of a wildlife refuge is the habitats it provides for its wildlife. 1980 that can retain a relict overstory of pine snyder et al. Tropical hardwood hammocks are closed canopy forests dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi deciduous tree and shrub species mostly of west indian origin.

Tropical hardwood hammocks are found along both coasts of south florida as well as throughout the everglades and florida keys. This helps explain why the pine rocklands are home to a wide. South florida endemics found in tropical hardwood hammocks in addition to other communities include blodgett s wild mercury argythamnia bodgettii found in hammock gaps false leadplant dalea carthagenense var. Historically rockland hammocks in south florida.

In cases where rockland hammock is adjacent to pine rockland where hardwood seed rain is high. The best examples of the pine rocklands an ecosystem that once covered about 1 500 km2 are located at the southern tip of florida above an extrusion of limestone known as the miami rock ridge and along the lower florida keys. To walk into a hardwood hammock is to walk through a shady tropical forest. In the northern portion of the everglades hammocks are dominated by trees of temperate origin including the live oak quercus virginiana and the hackberry celtis laevigata.