List of ecoregions in Louisiana

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List of ecoregions in Louisiana
Level III USEPA ecoregions in Louisiana

The list of ecoregions in Louisiana are listings of terrestrial ecoregions (see also, ecosystem) in the United States' State of Louisiana, as defined separately by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the World Wildlife Fund. Louisiana's ecology is in a land area of 51,840 square miles (134,264 km2); the state is 379 miles (610 km) long and 130 miles (231 km) wide and is located between latitude: 28° 56′ N to 33° 01′ N, and longitude: 88° 49′ W to 94° 03′ W, with a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Contents

USEPA

USEPA's Level III and Level IV ecoregions of Louisiana Map of Ecoregions of Louisiana (USEPA).png
USEPA's Level III and Level IV ecoregions of Louisiana

The USEPA's ecoregions are identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic characteristics that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity. These characteristics include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of ecoregion hierarchical level. [1]

Louisiana contains barrier islands and coastal lowlands, large river floodplains, rolling and hilly coastal plains with evergreen and deciduous forests, and a variety of aquatic habitats. There are 6 level III ecoregions and 28 level IV ecoregions, and most of these continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent states. [1]

34 Western Gulf Coastal Plain

35 South Central Plains

65 Southeastern Plains

73 Mississippi Alluvial Plain

74 Mississippi Valley Loess Plains

75 Southern Coastal Plain

World Wildlife Fund

WWF ecoregions are defined as "relatively large units of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities sharing a large majority of species, dynamics, and environmental conditions.... Ecoregions represent the original distribution of distinct assemblages of species and communities." [2]

Realm Biome Ecoregion
Nearctic Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Mississippi lowland forests
NearcticTemperate broadleaf and mixed forests Southeastern mixed forests
Nearctic Temperate coniferous forests Piney Woods forests
NearcticTemperate coniferous forests Southeastern conifer forests
Nearctic Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Western Gulf coastal grasslands

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)</span> River in Mississippi and Louisiana, United States

The Pearl River is a river in the U.S. states of Mississippi and Louisiana. It forms in Neshoba County, Mississippi from the confluence of Nanih Waiya and Tallahaga creeks, and has a meander length of 444 miles (715 km). The lower part of the river forms part of the boundary between Mississippi and Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piney Woods</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering 54,400 square miles (141,000 km2) of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and oak. Historically the most dense part of this forest region was the Big Thicket though the lumber industry dramatically reduced the forest concentration in this area and throughout the Piney Woods during the 19th and 20th centuries. The World Wide Fund for Nature considers the Piney Woods to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines most of this ecoregion as the South Central Plains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Coastal Plain</span> Coastal Plain in the Southern United States and Eastern Mexico

The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apalachicola National Forest</span> A national forest located Florida

The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses 632,890 acres and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activities such as off-road biking, hiking, swimming, boating, hunting, fishing, horse-back riding, and off-road ATV usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Gulf coastal grasslands</span> Subtropical grassland ecoregion of Mexico and the United States

The Western Gulf coastal grasslands are a subtropical grassland ecoregion of the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It is known in Louisiana as the "Cajun Prairie", Texas as "Coastal Prairie," and as the Tamaulipan pastizal in Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Plain</span> Physiographic division of the United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snake River Plain (ecoregion)</span> Ecoregion in the northwestern United States

The Snake River Plain ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Idaho and Oregon. It follows the Snake River across Idaho, stretching roughly 400 miles (640 km) from the Wyoming border to Eastern Oregon in the xeric intermontane west. Characterized by plains and low hills, it is considerably lower and less rugged than surrounding ecoregions. Many of the alluvial valleys bordering the Snake River are used for agriculture. Where irrigation water and soil depth are sufficient, sugar beets, potatoes, alfalfa, small grains, and vegetables are grown. Elsewhere, livestock grazing is widespread. Cattle feedlots and dairy operations are found locally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Central Texas forests</span> Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of Oklahoma and Texas, United States

The East Central Texas forests or East Central Texas Plains (33) is a small temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion almost entirely within the state of Texas, United States. The northern forests perimeter is partially within the southeast Oklahoma border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paleontology in Louisiana</span>

Paleontology in Louisiana refers to paleontological research occurring within or conducted by people from the U.S. state of Louisiana. Outcrops of fossil-bearing sediments and sedimentary rocks within Louisiana are quite rare. In part, this is because Louisiana’s semi-humid climate results in the rapid weathering and erosion of any exposures and the growth of thick vegetation that conceal any fossil-bearing strata. In addition, Holocene alluvial sediments left behind by rivers like the Mississippi, Red, and Ouachita, as well as marsh deposits, cover about 55% of Louisiana and deeply bury local fossiliferous strata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern conifer forests</span> Temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States

The Southeastern conifer forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the southeastern United States. It is the largest conifer forest ecoregion east of the Mississippi River. It is also the southernmost instance of temperate coniferous forest within the Nearctic realm.

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in seven U.S. states, though predominantly in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It parallels the Mississippi River from the Midwestern United States to the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Valley (ecoregion)</span> EPA Level III ecoregion

The Arkansas Valley is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It parallels the Arkansas River between the flat plains of western Oklahoma and the Arkansas Delta, dividing the Ozarks and the Ouachita Mountains with the broad valleys created by the river's floodplain, occasionally interrupted by low hills, scattered ridges, and mountains. In Arkansas, the region is often known as the Arkansas River Valley, especially when describing the history and culture of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Corn Belt Plains</span>

The Western Corn Belt Plains is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in seven U.S. states, though predominantly in Iowa.

The Eastern Temperate Forests is a Level I ecoregion of North America designated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in its North American Environmental Atlas. The region covers much of the Eastern and Midwestern United States, the U.S. Interior Highlands, and parts of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeastern Plains (ecoregion)</span> Level III ecoregion in the United States

The North American Southeastern Plains are a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in ten U.S. states. The region takes a U shape starting in western Tennessee, going south through eastern Mississippi, and forming most of Alabama. On the eastern side, the plains lie between the Appalachian Mountains and the coastal plains, forming central Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It forms part of eastern Virginia before terminating in Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi Valley Loess Plains (ecoregion)</span> Level III ecoregion in the United States

The North American Mississippi Valley Loess Plains are a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in six U.S. states. The region lies primarily on the eastern border of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, from the Ohio River in western Kentucky, through Tennessee and Mississippi, to Louisiana. A separate unit that includes Crowley's Ridge occurs west of the river in Arkansas and Missouri. It has been divided into four Level IV ecoregions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Coastal Plain (ecoregion)</span> Level III ecoregion in the United States

The North American Southern Coastal Plain is a Level III ecoregion designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in six U.S. states. The region stretches across the Gulf coast from eastern Louisiana to Florida, forms the majority of Florida, and forms the coastlines of Georgia and much of South Carolina. It has been divided into twelve Level IV ecoregions.

References

  1. 1 2 Daigle, Jerry J.; Griffith, Glenn E.; Omernik, James M.; Faulkner, Patricia L.; McCulloh, Richard P.; Handley, Lawrence R.; Smith, Latimore M.; Chapman, Shannen S. (2006). "Ecoregions of Louisiana" (PDF). United States Geological Survey . Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  2. "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World". World Wildlife Fund. 2012-08-01.

Further reading

Landforms of the Louisiana Coastal Plain