The ecology, status, and conservation of two non-alluvial wetland communities in the South Atlantic and Eastern Gulf coastal plain, USA

Abstract

The existence and integrity of the majority of southern Atlantic and eastern Gulf coastal plain non-alluvial wetlands (and the plant and animal species dependent on these communities) are critically threatened. Federal efforts and public interest have concentrated on the protection of coastal wetlands and riverine bottomlands, but many other coastal plain wetland communities are declining rapidly. Among these threatened natural communities are non-alluvial systems such as pond cypress Taxodium ascendens savannas, karst ponds, coastal plain small depression ponds, longleaf pine Pinus palustris savannas, and pocosins. We estimate that more than a third of the rare plant species in the Southeast occur in these wetland communities. The threats to these isolated wetland communities are numerous, from local site specific threats including drainage and development to threats to the regional hydrology. In this paper we present an overview of the non-alluvial wetlands in the southern Atlantic and eastern Gulf coastal plain and focus on two of the most threatened non-alluvial wetland communities in the region, pond cypress savannas and karst ponds.