SREL Reprint #2503

Introduction to ecology and management of rare plants of the Southeast

B. Collins1, P. S. White2, and Donald W. Imm3

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802 USA
2Department of Biology, Coker Hall, CB# 3280, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3280 USA
3Savannah River Institute, P.O. Box 700, New Ellenton, SC 29809 USA

Abstract: This issue of Natural Areas Journal focuses on ecology and management of rare plants of the southeastern United States. This region lies mostly south of the Wisconsin glacial boundary and includes sections of the Coastal Plain, Piedmont, and Appalachian Highlands Physiographic Provinces. Lack of glaciation might have helped concentrate rare plants in the Southeast; varied geology, topography, and soils contribute to diverse habitats with rare plants. Habitat loss threatens rare plants of southeastern ecosystems. Development and fire exclusion have contributed to fragmentation and rarity in once widespread longleaf pine communities and in Florida scrub. Depression wetlands, which dot the southern coastal plain and are foci for rare plants, are often ditched or drained. Urbanization has fragmented rare plant populations along river corridors. The articles in this issue focus on the distribution of southeastern rare plants and some habitats of concern, and discuss ecological and management aspects of rarity. As rare plant populations decline in the southeast, detailed information on their distributions and ecological interactions can inform monitoring and management decisions.

Index terms: rare plants, southeastern United States

SREL Reprint #2503

Collins, B., P. S. White, and D. W. Imm. 2001. Introduction to ecology and management of rare plants of the Southeast. Natural Areas Journal 21:4-11.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).