Regions of North Carolina w/ help from Kelsey Oberneufemann, NC Dept of Natural Resources

Living or Nonliving? Biomes are determined by two factors: Abiotic: non-living Biotic: living Is it living or nonliving? temperature, rainfall, type of plant, altitude, latitude, type of animals

Biome A group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms When we talk about biomes, we typically mean LARGE areas.

N.C. Biome North Carolina is located within the temperate deciduous forest global biome - however, a great variety of forest and non-forest ecosystems may be found within the state

Regions of North Carolina Different parts of our state do have different soil, landforms, river water, and temperatures. Because of the differences in these abiotic factors, there are differences in the biotic factors- what can live in each one So we divide North Carolina into three regions Coastal Plain is divided into more groups, including inner and outer (and then Tidewater and Outer Banks).

Soil Mountains: Rich, rocky soil Piedmont: Clay soil Coastal Plain: Rich, sandy soil

Water Mountain Stream: headwaters streams, high velocity, cool temperature, high DO; several species of endemic freshwater mussels, trout Piedmont: High velocity waters in rapids and boulder fields alternating with stretches of calm low to moderate velocity waters; moderate floodplain development;

Water Coastal Plain Streams: relatively low velocity and low gradient, sand, silt, and organic matter substrates, broad floodplains with levee formations; potentially low DO high BOD during summer; rivers with piedmont source have heavier silt and clay load. Wetlands: the relatively flat and poorly drained topography of the NC coastal plain creates to opportunity for extensive wetland development. Coastal Plain Lakes: these are the only natural lakes in the state

Landforms Mountains: …Mountains! 400 million years old; metamorphic rock with igneous intrusions Piedmont: Rolling hills (means “foothills” in French) Remnant metamorphic mountains, dissected plateaus, highly weathered Coastal Plains: Low, flat to gently sloping land. Sedimentary rock layers (limestone); marine deposition Elevation also affects temperature Higher elevations are typically colder

Ecosystems Soils, water, and temperature combine to create various places where certain plants will grow (and others won't) That determines what animals can live there. An ecosystem is a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

Coastal Plains Sandy soil of the Coastal Plain is a great place for Longleaf Pine, and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers will only create their nesting cavities in mature Longleaf Pine forests.

Piedmont ecosystem Extensively deforested in 1800’s for agricultural production, massive soil erosion resulted; since 1920’s and 1930’s forests have recovered but now are being fragmented by rapidly increasing road building and residential and industrial development Today’s piedmont is the state’s industrial and urban center (textile and furniture industries, high technology, commerce); agricultural development consists of pasturage for livestock, poultry operations, tobacco, limited row crops

Mountains Cold tops of our mountains is where spruce forests can grow, and that is the only place where you will find the Northern Flying Squirrel in our state

Piedmont Hardwood Forest: red oak, beech, hickory, maple, yellow poplar; best examples on relatively undisturbed steep slopes Mixed Pine/Hardwood Forest: same as above but with Virginia pine and white pine; sites gentle slopes and flats that have been more frequently disturbed Pine Plantation: virtual monocultures of Virginia pine, white pine or loblolly pine Sandhills: longleaf pine and wiregrass communities on nutrient poor sand hills landforms

Biodiversity The number of different species in a given area The more diverse plant communities an area is able to support, the more diverse animals can live there too Think less competition for everyone

Biodiversity North Carolina is also at the upper and lower ranges of many animals (Not too hot, not too cold) Because of this, North Carolina has a HUGE diversity of species In fact, we have more species of salamander than anywhere in the world!