Chapte r 4. H abitats
Required Element 2 : Descriptions of locations and relative condition of key habitats and community types essential to conservation of species identified as conservation priorities.
4.1 Introduction There are many factors that influence where a species occurs in the landscape, its distribution and abundance, and its rate of reproductive success and survival (Hall et al. 1997; Winger 1981; Turner 1989) . A landscape composed of multiple natural community types is more likely to contain the necessary resources to provide habitat for a species (Stewart et al. 2010; Morrison et al. 2012) . Landscape composition varies across the state with elevation, moisture and temperature gradients, and soil textures having a significant influence on natural community structure. The concept of habitat is based on the availability of the appropriate combination of food, cover, and water resources, climatic conditions, and other environmental conditions (e.g., competitors, predators, connectivity) that supports the ability of a species to survive and reproduce (Hall et al. 1997; Morrison et al. 2012) . An important concept in wildlife-habitat relationships is that they are specific to the organism, are temporally and spatially scale-dependent, and are influenced by each organism in the system (Hall et al. 1997; Wiens 1989) . Some habitats that can form when vegetation is dormant and rainfall is high, such as ephemeral pools and wetlands, are distributed seasonally due to climatic and environmental conditions. In other cases, a habitat may be distributed based on periodic natural disturbances, such as wildfire or flooding. Given the complexities of natural communities and the variability of the organisms associated with them, we use local and regional landscape-scale approaches more often than species-specific approaches to accomplish conservation. Therefore, habitats are considered to be the sum of all the resources a species needs to survive and persist (Hall et al. 1997) . Whether they are aquatic or terrestrial systems, natural communities and the habitats they provide are highly interconnected and influence one another. The most pervasive impact to fish and wildlife is the loss of habitat. There are numerous sources of impacts that ultimately result in the loss of habitat including severe weather events, development, and land use changes. Examples of these sources are provided below. More information about categories of impacts and threats to fish and wildlife is provided in Chapter 5 Threats.
As an aid to understanding this complexity and to provide a landscape framework for conservation planning, it is helpful to represent broadly the distribution of important natural
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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