Chapter 4 Habitats
Henslow’s Sparrows, Golden-winged Warblers, Appalachian Cottontails, and Grizzled Skippers listed as Federal Species of Concern, and a number of additional rare species tracked by NCNHP. Many of the species associated with this community type that are of conservation concern are primarily northern species and are likely to be significantly affected by the effects of climate change. Species in this habitat group are completely dependent on their ability to disperse from one habitat patch to another. Their habitats are normally very transient, and the species associated with them need to keep constantly on the move to keep up with their shifting landscape. Although many of the species associated with successional habitats are quite mobile, small mammals, reptiles, and at least some birds and insects are less mobile and highly vulnerable to the effects of habitat fragmentation. At least some of the declines noted in this group of species are likely due to decreased connectivity between habitat patches, in addition to the decreased extent of these habitats overall. Disturbed and artificially created/maintained habitats are particularly susceptible to invasion by exotic species, which in some cases can have significant impacts on the native species associated with early successional habitats. While most compositional changes are likely to have mixed effects, invasion by some exotic species can produce severe impacts, greatly reducing the diversity of both animal and plant communities. The Appalachian Bewick’s Wren may have been extirpated from North Carolina due to competition with exotic house sparrows and European Starlings, along with brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds, an invasive species in this area that arrived from the Great Plains (Potter et al. 2006) . Wetland Communities. With stable Beaver populations, Beaver ponds can be maintained for decades. Beaver ponds are a natural community but result from modification of other community types. With or without climate change, Beaver pond ecosystems are likely to further spread across the state, recreating habitat conditions that existed prior to the great loss of Beavers and their associated species that began with European settlement of North America. This spread will likely have a positive effect on successional wetland inhabitants, providing resilience to flooding, drought, and wildfire as well enhancing adjacent habitats for other species. The main limiting factor for reoccupation is human tolerance for Beaver activities and competition with humans for use of bottomlands. In areas unsuitable for Beaver habitation, their ecological benefits can be mimicked using beaver dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALS), and other low-tech, process-based restoration methods to enhance ecosystem function. A reduction in the number of Beaver ponds will place more importance on man-made ponds as the primary habitat for many lentic aquatic species. Changes in insect species composition, especially among herbivorous groups, are likely to occur due to changes in plant composition as well as the direct effects of climate change on the insects themselves. Eight very rare species associated with this habitat group are entirely confined to these habitats in North Carolina, including the federally endangered Saint Francis’
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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