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> Conservation biologists are taking a closer look at the natural riches of the Southeastern United States, and they describe it as one of the world’s biodivers

> Conservation biologists are taking a closer look at the natural riches of the Southeastern United States, and they describe it as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, in many ways on par with tropical forests I often hear that the southeastern U.S. has some of the highest biodiversity of anywhere on earth, but as someone who grew up there, I'm not sure that it's really that apparent, at least visually. The vegetation all the way from Atlanta up to Maine tends to look like this (https://static.rootsrated.com/image/upload/s--nsRlDT5Y--/t_rr_large_traditional/l6gsrwwz7zojibuumx0v.jpg https://static.rootsrated.com/image/upload/s--nsRlDT5Y--/t_r...). If you dropped me in the woods in any state along the east coast, I wouldn't be able to identify which state I was in. Perhaps there is diversity in the number of species, but the trees and plants themselves don't look that different from each other. I moved to the west coast two years ago, and at least in appearances, it seems like there is more biodiversity (https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Od2CTO9JsJw/Wq7QDGEtQ6I/AAAAAAAADn8/yULxcPG6cwcB-ACcC5dz2o-bXn04MgBUwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2898%2B%25282%2529.JPG https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Od2CTO9JsJw/Wq7QDGEtQ6I/AAAAAAAAD...). Does anyone know what might explain the discrepancy? Just north of SF, there are redwood trees and cypress trees, which look strikingly different from each other. Also, for those of you that grew up on the west coast, I'm curious what was your subjective impression of the vegetation in the southeast the first time you visited?

learc83 6y ago
I think it’s just your perception. I can easily spot when a movie or TV show was filmed in a North Georgia forest. And when driving from Atlanta 2 hours west to Birmingham, 2 hours east to Augusta, or 2 hours south to Columbus you can tell a huge difference in vegetation. As for your pictures: https://explorebeaufortsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/spanishmoss.jpg https://explorebeaufortsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/spa... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Photo_of_the_Week_-_Great_Dismal_Swamp_National_Wildlife_Refuge_%28VA%29_%284578425529%29.jpg/300px-Photo_of_the_Week_-_Great_Dismal_Swamp_National_Wildlife_Refuge_%28VA%29_%284578425529%29.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Ph... https://www.gatlinburgtnguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Fall-colors-in-the-Smoky-Mountains.jpg https://www.gatlinburgtnguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09... https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/tnc_86407773_4000x2200.jpg?crop=0,113,4272,2236&wid=1280&hei=670&scl=3.3375 https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content... All in the Southeast.
- projektfu 6y ago
  There's interesting variations, too. Most of Georgia seems to be a good place to grow Slash Pine but near Savannah it also grows a pretty moss on the bark.
ruricolist 6y ago
I suspect they're talking specifically about the longleaf ecosystem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longleaf_pine_ecosystem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longleaf_pine_ecosystem
scythe 6y ago
A lot of the biodiversity of the Southeast is in the wetlands. Another hotspot is in the temperate rainforests of the southern Appalachians. You wouldn't see either of those places by accident. Piedmont is kind of boring by contrast. Eg. https://imagineourflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Imagine-Our-Florida-Hungryland-Wildlife-and-Environmental-Area-9.jpg https://imagineourflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ima... https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/Tiger%20Creek%20IMG_3574.jpg?crop=0,216,5184,3240&wid=824&hei=515&scl=6.29126213592233 https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content... https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/grid_builder/cong/crop16_9/C7A243E3-1DD8-B71B-0B8AD7A564CAC146.jpg https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/grid_builder/cong/crop16_... https://ashevilletrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sams-knob-trail-03.jpg https://ashevilletrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sams-... With that said, as a Floridian I was happy to see palm trees again when I moved to the Bay Area. It's nice there. It's my understanding that California has more spiky plants than broadleafs due to the dry-summer climate. Most of the Southeast is broadleaf because it's very wet year-round. Plants with small leaves reveal more about their structure from a distance while broadleaf forests form a green blanket. So the biodiversity in California might be a little more visible. Southwest Florida has a semi-xeric climate as well but with dry and warm winters, similar to southern Mexico, and various species of cacti can be found.

learc83 6y ago

I think it’s just your perception. I can easily spot when a movie or TV show was filmed in a North Georgia forest. And when driving from Atlanta 2 hours west to Birmingham, 2 hours east to Augusta, or 2 hours south to Columbus you can tell a huge difference in vegetation. As for your pictures: https://explorebeaufortsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/spanishmoss.jpg https://explorebeaufortsc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/spa... https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Photo_of_the_Week_-_Great_Dismal_Swamp_National_Wildlife_Refuge_%28VA%29_%284578425529%29.jpg/300px-Photo_of_the_Week_-_Great_Dismal_Swamp_National_Wildlife_Refuge_%28VA%29_%284578425529%29.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Ph... https://www.gatlinburgtnguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Fall-colors-in-the-Smoky-Mountains.jpg https://www.gatlinburgtnguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09... https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/tnc_86407773_4000x2200.jpg?crop=0,113,4272,2236&wid=1280&hei=670&scl=3.3375 https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content... All in the Southeast.

projektfu 6y ago
There's interesting variations, too. Most of Georgia seems to be a good place to grow Slash Pine but near Savannah it also grows a pretty moss on the bark.

ruricolist 6y ago

I suspect they're talking specifically about the longleaf ecosystem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longleaf_pine_ecosystem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longleaf_pine_ecosystem

scythe 6y ago

A lot of the biodiversity of the Southeast is in the wetlands. Another hotspot is in the temperate rainforests of the southern Appalachians. You wouldn't see either of those places by accident. Piedmont is kind of boring by contrast. Eg. https://imagineourflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Imagine-Our-Florida-Hungryland-Wildlife-and-Environmental-Area-9.jpg https://imagineourflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ima... https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/Tiger%20Creek%20IMG_3574.jpg?crop=0,216,5184,3240&wid=824&hei=515&scl=6.29126213592233 https://natureconservancy-h.assetsadobe.com/is/image/content... https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/grid_builder/cong/crop16_9/C7A243E3-1DD8-B71B-0B8AD7A564CAC146.jpg https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/grid_builder/cong/crop16_... https://ashevilletrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sams-knob-trail-03.jpg https://ashevilletrails.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/sams-... With that said, as a Floridian I was happy to see palm trees again when I moved to the Bay Area. It's nice there. It's my understanding that California has more spiky plants than broadleafs due to the dry-summer climate. Most of the Southeast is broadleaf because it's very wet year-round. Plants with small leaves reveal more about their structure from a distance while broadleaf forests form a green blanket. So the biodiversity in California might be a little more visible. Southwest Florida has a semi-xeric climate as well but with dry and warm winters, similar to southern Mexico, and various species of cacti can be found.