Source of bioregions data used to male map: Olson, D. M. and E. Dinerstein. The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. (PDF file) Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89:125-126.

Description

The Appalachian mixed mesophytic forest is one of the most biologically diverse temperate forest regions on earth. It has an unusually diverse tree flora, with as many as 30 tree species at a single site. The rivers of the ecoregion have the highest species richness of any freshwater ecosystem. In particular, there are a large number of endemic fish and shellfish species. The rich diversity of the area has several contributing factors. It was an unglaciated refugia for many species. It shares species with the high elevation Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests to the east, the hardwood forests to the west, and the mixed hardwood/conifer forests to the south. Temperate forests are forests in the temperate climate zones. ... Flora may refer to: Flora (goddess), a goddess in Roman mythology Flora (plants), a collective term for plant life; as distinct from fauna (animals); or, a book or other work that describes the plant species occurring in a particular area or region. ... Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ...

Threats

This ecoregion is considered critically endangered with 95% of the habitat degraded or converted to commercial forest. Large areas have been destroyed through surface mining, including mountaintop removal. Large areas have also been logged and then converted to plantations of fast-growing tree species, such as loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) which are then used to produce wood pulp. This is particularly a problem in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Major rivers in the ecoregion, such as the Tennessee River, have been dammed. This has resulted in the threatened or endangered status of some species of shellfish. Wyoming strip mine Surface mining is a type of mining used to extract deposits of mineral resources that are close to the surface. ... Mountaintop removal in West Virginia. ... A sugarcane plantation at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, 2005 A plantation is a large tract of monoculture, as a tree plantation, a cotton plantation, a tea plantation or a tobacco plantation. ... Binomial name Pinus taeda The Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) is one of the pines native to the southeast United States. ... International Paper Company Wood pulp is the most common material used to make paper. ... The Cumberland Plateau includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 195 km 710 km 2. ... A riverboat passing under the Henley Street Bridge on the Tennessee River The river viewed from the top of Neyland Stadium. ... An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... Shellfish is a term used to describe shelled molluscs and crustaceans used as food. ...

Natural areas in the ecoregion

Tennessee

• Fall Creek Falls State Park
• Savage Gulf State Natural Area [1]
• Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (Kentucky/Tennessee) [2]

Fall Creek Falls Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park, located between Pikeville and Spencer, is a state park in central Tennessee. ...

References

Ricketts, T.H., E. Dinerstein, D.M. Olson, C.J. Loucks, et al. (1999) Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund - United States and Canada. Island Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 337-340.

External links

• National Geographic WildWorld ecoregion profile
• Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu