Landscape Partnership Resources Library
Previous Habitat Assessments within the Appalachian LCC
This spreadsheet provides the results of habitat assessments from five previous research projects. These include two projects in the Central Appalachian and Cumberland - Southern Appalachian portion of the LCC; habitat assessments completed in the North Carolina portion of the Cumberland - Southern Appalachian subregion; habitat assessments in the northeastern portion of the Central Appalachian subregion; and a draft assessment for a habitat in the Interior Low Plateau.
Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry Mesic Oak Forest
This habitat of upland hardwood-dominated forests occurs in the Interior Low Plateau region of the southeastern United States along ridgetops and slopes of various aspects. The floristic expression of different stands included in this habitat varies considerably with aspect and soil type. Included here are a variety of associations ranging along a moisture gradient from submesic to drier ones. The submesic to dry-mesic expressions tend to be found on midslopes with northerly to easterly aspects, and the drier ones on southerly to westerly aspects and on broad ridges. Parent material can range from calcareous to acidic with very shallow, well- to excessively well-drained soils in the drier expressions and moderately well-drained soils in the submesic to dry-mesic ones. The canopy closure of this system ranges from closed to somewhat open in the drier examples. Historically, these examples may have been more open under conditions of more frequent fire.
Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens
This habitat is found primarily in the Interior Highlands of the Ozark, Ouachita, and Interior Low Plateau regions with scattered occurrences in northern Missouri. It occurs along moderate to steep slopes and steep valleys on primarily southerly to westerly facing slopes. Limestone and/or dolomite bedrock typify this system with shallow, moderately to well-drained soils interspersed with rocks. These soils often dry out during the summer and autumn, and then become saturated during the winter and spring. Fire is the primary natural dynamic, and prescribed fires help manage this system by restricting woody growth and maintaining the more open glade structure.
Adapting and Monitoring the Strategy
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Strategy Implementation
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Conclusions
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Species and Location Prioritization
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Comparing Alternative Management Approaches
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Alternative Management Approaches
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Goals and Objectives
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Strategy Development
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Assumptions
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Species and Threats
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Introduction and Geographic Scope
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Purpose
From the Imperiled Aquatic Species Conservation Strategy for the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
Cave/Karst Resources Across the Appalachian LCC: A Visual Guide to Results PDF
This visual guide documents 18 months of work gathering and analyzing data on caves and karst resources in the Appalachian LCC. The maps and files provide a comprehensive overview of data available for examining relationships between environmental factors and biological diversity and distribution within karst areas in the region. This visual survey is intended to be a guide to what the researchers have accomplished, and a guide to what new questions and results would be interesting to end-users.
Guidelines for Using the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index
Motivated by the need to rapidly assess the vulnerability of species to climate change, NatureServe developed a Climate Change Vulnerability Index. The Index uses a scoring system that integrates a species’ predicted exposure to climate change within an area and three sets of factors associated with climate change sensitivity, each supported by published studies: 1) indirect exposure to climate change, 2) species-specific sensitivity and adaptive capacity factors and 3) documented response to climate change. Our primary goal for the Index is to provide valuable input for key planning documents, such as revisions of state wildlife action plans, to allow consideration of climate change impacts together with other stressors. We also hope this tool will help land managers develop and prioritize strategies for climate change adaptation that lead to actions that increase the resilience of species to climate change.
Phase 1 Report: Conservation Planning and Design for Appalachian LCC PDF
Conservation planning is concerned with spatially identifying and prioritizing lands and waters important for functioning ecosystems and biodiversity. It is a science utilizing geographic information systems and large datasets to generate scenario-based maps of conservation potential. These scenarios can balance social, economic, and regulatory constraints with processes that occur over time and space. The planning process itself, as well as final products, helps practitioners prioritize where and when to take conservation action.
Phase I: Alternatives for Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment: Expert Panel Findings PDF
How should the Appalachian LCC acquire information about species and habitat vulnerability to large-scale impacts in the Appalachians? This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of a seven-member Expert Panel that sought to answer this question identified as a major research priority. The Panel addressed three aspects of the question: the selection of species and habitats to assess, approaches to vulnerability assessment, and the availability of downscaled climate data.
Review of Subterranean Faunal Studies of the Appalachians and Models of Subterranean Species Richness PDF
Historically, the cave fauna, and any biota for that matter, were largely studied from a taxonomic perspective. Papers focused on a lineage or a set of closely related lineages because of the strictures of taxonomic expertise, the difficulty in collating and summarizing information for a variety of taxonomic groups, and because, until relatively recently, there was no research agenda that emphasized patterns of species richness. With the advent of interest in species diversity per se in the late 1960’s and especially with the interest in biodiversity and biodiversity hotspots in the late 1980’s, the focus changed. Studies of cave fauna reflected the changing research agendas. In this bibliographic review, we examine five areas of interest:
