List of ecoregions in Scotland

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Below is a list of ecoregions in Scotland.

Terrestrial

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

Temperate coniferous forests

Fresh water

Flora and conditions

The principal plant communities of the Celtic broadleaf forests include: [1]

Contents

Plant communities with smaller areas include:

In addition to the two native oak species (Quercus robur and Q. petraea), broad-leafed deciduous trees include common ash, silver birch, European aspen, and common elm.

Small annual temperature variation, high humidity, and high levels of annual precipitation makes Celtic Rainforest an important habitat for numerous common and rare species of mosses, liverworts, and lichens. [2] [3] [4] [5] The Scottish Natural History Scientific Advisory Committee writes, "the whole area is a lichenologists’ Mecca". [2] There is an exceptional number of epiphytic plants (plants growing on or hanging from trees without being parasitic). [2] The ground is covered with a deep blanketing of mosses and liverworts, which rise up the trunks of the trees onto the horizontal branches and up into the canopy. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Minwear Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. It has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since January 1968 in an attempt to protect its fragile biological elements including ancient woodland of sessile oak with hazel and downy birch on the upper part of the Milford Haven estuary. The wood is structurally diverse and has scarce plants and epiphytic lichens. The site has an area of 13.69 hectares and is managed by Natural Resources Wales.

Celtic Rainforest is a colloquial term which refers to the temperate rainforest of Ireland and Great Britain. These woodlands are also variously referred to as Atlantic rainforest, Upland Oakwoods, Atlantic Oakwoods or Western Oakwoods. Today, the Celtic Rainforest exists as small fragments of the temperate rainforest that once covered much of Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. The majority of these fragments occur on steep-sided slopes above rivers and lakes which have avoided clearance and intensive grazing pressure. There are notable examples in Ireland especially along its western coast, including the Beara Rainforest in West Cork, the Great Forest of Aughty in Clare and Galway, Oldhead Wood in Mayo and Ardnamona Wood and Glenveagh in Donegal. In Scotland, rainforest exists on the islands and shores of Loch Maree, Loch Sunart, Loch Lomond, and one of the best preserved sites on the remote Taynish Peninsula in Argyll. In Wales, they occur on steep-sided riverine gorges in Snowdonia and Mid Wales. In England, there are examples in the Lake District, and steep-sided riverine and estuarine valleys in South West England, including the Fowey valley in Cornwall, and the valley of the river Dart which flows off Dartmoor, and has rainfall in excess of 2 metres per year.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantabrian mixed forests</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic rainforests in Wales</span> Temperate rainforests in Wales

There are various areas of temperate rainforests in Wales, also termed a "Celtic rainforest". They are located largely in river valleys, adjacent to the sea, on Wales' western coasts, particularly in Snowdonia (Eryri), Powys and Ceredigion.

References

  1. "Celtic broadleaf forests". www.worldwildlife.org. WWF. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Important habitats for lichens, The Celtic rain forest, Scottish Natural Heritage online, Archived 2014-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Lichen Glossary (a-f)". www.lichens.lastdragon.org. Archived from the original on 2014-08-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. Atlantic Hazelwoods: the case for conservation of a newly-recognised woodland type, Scottish Natural heritage Scientific Advisory Committee, 3-20-2014, Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Atlantic hazel: Scotland’s special woodlands, A. M. Coppins, B. J. Coppins, Atlantic Hazel Action Group: Kilmartin, UK, 2012