Sandhill

This article is about the type of ecosystem. For other uses, see Sandhills (disambiguation) and Sand Hill (disambiguation).
Fire maintained sandhill community at Austin Cary Forest, near Gainesville, FL

A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and become more oak dominated.

Entisols are the typical sandhill soil, deep well-drained and nutrient poor. In Florida, sandhills receive 130 cm (51 in) of rainfall per year, just like the more hydric ecosystems surrounding them. Sandhills are xeric because they have poor water holding capacity.

Dominant vegetation includes longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), American turkey oak (Quercus laevis), and wiregrass (Aristida stricta).[1] A number of rare animals are typical of this habitat including the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus),[2] red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), Sherman's fox squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani),[2] and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus). Invasive species that are a problem on sandhills include Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica),[3] camphor laurels (Cinnamomum camphora), and Natal grass (Melinis repens).

  1. ^ Canfield, Susan Littell; Tanner, George W. (1997). "Observations of Pineywoods Dropseed (sporobolus Junceus) Phenological Development Following Fire in a Sandhill Community". Florida Scientist. 60 (2): 69–72. ISSN 0098-4590. JSTOR 24320744.
  2. ^ a b Herring, Brenda J.; Judd, Walter S. (1995). "A Floristic Study of Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Suwannee and Columbia Counties, Florida". Castanea. 60 (4): 318–369. ISSN 0008-7475. JSTOR 4033806.
  3. ^ Jose, S.; Cox, J.; Miller, D.L.; Shilling, D.G.; Merritt, S. (2002-01-01). "Alien Plant Invasions: The Story of Cogongrass in Southeastern Forests". Journal of Forestry. 100 (1). Oxford Academic: 41–44. doi:10.1093/jof/100.1.41. ISSN 0022-1201. Retrieved 2024-02-27.