| Florida scrub | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Temperate coniferous forest |
| Borders | Southeastern conifer forests |
| Bird species | 173[1][dead link] |
| Mammal species | 43[1][dead link] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 3,900 km2 (1,500 sq mi) |
| Country | United States (Florida) |
| Climate type | Humid subtropical (Cfa) |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered[3] |
| Global 200 | No[4] |
| Habitat loss | Lake Wales Ridge: 85% Peninsula coasts: 90%[2] |
| Protected | 34.94%[1][dead link] |
Florida scrub is a forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one. Wildfires infrequently occur in the Florida scrub. Most of the annual rainfall (about 135 cm or 53 in) falls in summer.
The ecosystem is endangered by residential, commercial and agricultural development. The largest remaining block lies in and around the Ocala National Forest. Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge also holds a high proportion of remaining scrub habitat, while the Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it.
- ^ a b c Hoekstra, J. M., et al. (2010). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. Archived 2013-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Ed. J. L. Molnar. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0
- ^ NatureConservancy 2005, p. 8.
- ^ "Florida sand pine scrub". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
- ^ Olson, David M.; Eric Dinerstein (2002). "The Global 200: Priority Ecoregions for Global Conservation" (PDF). Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 89 (2): 199–224. doi:10.2307/3298564. JSTOR 3298564.