Moorland in the Pennines (England); Coarse grasses and bracken tend to dominate especially in high rainfall areas.

Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas, characterised by acidic soils. Moorland habitats are most extensive in the neotropics and tropical Africa but also occur in small scattered location in northern and western Europe, Northern Australia, North America, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. In common with heaths, they are species-poor environments in Europe where they are often dominated by heather. In the far more extensive moorlands of the tropics species diversity can be extremely high. Moorlands differ from typical heathland in being colder and much wetter, often with extensive bogs, giving rise to a different mix of associated fauna. In Europe this fauna consists of specis such as Red Grouse, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Golden Plover, Curlew, Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Whinchat, Ring Ouzel and Twite. Other species of course dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are fewer due to the cooler conditions. In Europe only the Common Viper is frequent though in other regions moorlands are commonly home to dozens of reptile species. Amphibians are well represented in moorlands. When moorland is overgrazed by excessive numbers of sheep or deer or cattle, or yaks, or buffalo or vicuna, woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken, with a greatly reduced fauna. Typical pennine scenery, taken on the Pennine Way south of Marsden in West Yorkshire. ... Typical pennine scenery, taken on the Pennine Way south of Marsden in West Yorkshire. ... Habitat (from the Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species lives and grows. ... For other uses, see Acid (disambiguation). ... A biogeographic region, that extends from Mexico southwards to Tierra del Fuego, and also includes the Caribbean islands. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Africa (disambiguation). ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... The term northern Australia is generally considered to include the Australian states and territories of Queensland and the Northern Territory. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... Satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Heaths are anthropogenic habitats found primarily in northern and western Europe, where they have been created by thousands of years of human clearance of natural forest vegetation by grazing and burning on mainly infertile acidic soils. ... Binomial name Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull Heather redirects here. ... Lütt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg in northern Germany. ... Binomial name Lagopus lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) is a medium-sized bird in the grouse family. ... Binomial name Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is a bird of prey of the harrier family. ... Binomial name Falco columbarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a falcon that breeds in northern North America, Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Pluvialis apricaria (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Golden Plover, Pluvialis apricaria, is a largish plover. ... Binomial name Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Curlew, or in Europe just Curlew, Numenius arquata, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. ... Binomial name Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758 The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird. ... Binomial name Anthus pratensis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Meadow Pipit, Anthus pratensis, is a small passerine bird which breeds in much of the northern half of Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Saxicola rubetra (Linnaeus, 1758) The Whinchat, Saxicola rubetra, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. ... Binomial name Turdus torquatus Linnaeus, 1758 The Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) is a European member of the thrush family Turdidae. ... Binomial name Carduelis flavirostris (Linnaeus,, 1758) The Twite, Carduelis flavirostris, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Binomial name Vipera berus Linnaeus, 1758 The Crossed Viper, also known as the Common Viper and the European Adder (Vipera berus) lives farther north than any other snake and is known for being remarkably resistant to low temperatures. ... Species See text. ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Subfamilies There are 7 subfamilies: Subfamily Arundinoideae Subfamily Bambusoideae Subfamily Centothecoideae Subfamily Chloridoideae Subfamily Panicoideae Subfamily Pooideae Subfamily Stipoideae The true grasses are monocotyledonous plants (Class Liliopsida) in the Family Poaceae, also known as Gramineae. ... Species Pteridium aquilinum Pteridium caudatum Pteridium latiusculum and about 7-8 other species Brackens (Pteridium) are a genus of about ten species of large, coarse ferns, in the family Hypolepidaceae. ...

Ecology

A variety of distinct habitat types are found in different world regions. The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of the severe soil and microclimate characteristics of moorlands. For example in Exmoor, the rare species of Exmoor Pony is found, who has adapted to the harsh arid conditions of that environment. Some hill sheep breeds such as Scottish Blackface thrive on the austere conditions of heather moors.^[1] Habitat (from the Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species lives and grows. ... 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. ... Dunster Yarn Market (a covered market for the sale of local cloth, built in 1609) and Dunster Castle, Exmoor Exmoor National Park is a national park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of Devon and Somerset in South West England. ... Rare species is an organism which is very uncommon or scarce. ... The Exmoor pony is the oldest and most primitive of the British native ponies, as well as the purest, and some herds still roam free in the moors of southwest England (i. ... Species See text. ... The Scottish Blackface is the most common breed of sheep in the United Kingdom. ... Heather may be: In botany, the plant Calluna vulgaris, or, more loosely, various species of the closely related genera Erica and Cassiope, low evergreen shrubs (also called heaths). The term is also used to describe land which is vegetated with these plants; In apparel or textiles, interwoven yarns with a...

In more northerly latitudes, moorland is also found in lowland areas in the Scottish Highlands, Iceland and Norway; in the far north where trees do not grow naturally, moorland grades into natural tundra. I lIke Cheese In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. ...

Notable moorlands

Notable areas of upland moorland in Britain include the Dark Peak, the Forest of Bowland, the Lake District, the Pennines, Mid Wales, the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands and a very small pockets in western Herefordshire. The Dark Peak is the higher, northern part of the Peak District in England. ... The Hills in the Forest of Bowland The area known as the Forest of Bowland occupies most of the north east of the county of Lancashire in England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Typical Pennine scenery. ... The Desert of Wales is a large area in central Wales so called because of its lack of roads and towns and its general inaccessibility. ... The Southern Uplands is the southernmost of Scotlands three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Belt and the Highlands). ... The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county and unitary district (known as County of Herefordshire) in the West Midlands region of England. ...

• Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, UK
• Curry and Hay Moors, Somerset, UK
• Dartmoor, and Dartmoor wildlife, Devon, UK
• Emley Moor, West Yorkshire, UK
• Exmoor,
• Ilkley Moor, West Yorkshire, UK
• Marston Moor and North York Moors, North Yorkshire, UK
• Rannoch Moor, Highland, Scotland, UK
• Rombalds Moor, West Yorkshire, UK
• Saddleworth Moor, Pennine hills, UK
• Shropshire Hills, small pockets of moorland,
• Staffordshire Moorlands
• Ythan Estuary complex, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, largest coastal moorland in the United Kingdom, known for high biodiversity.

There are numerous moorlands outside the UK; some other notable examples are: The Cheeswring, a granite tor on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor (Photo by Mick Knapton) Bodmin Moor is a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England, 208 km² in size, dating from the Carboniferous period of geological history. ... Curry and Hay Moors (grid reference ST323273) is a 472. ... High Willhays, the highest point on Dartmoor and southern England at 621 m (2037 ft) above sea level, with Yes Tor beyond. ... The remoteness of Dartmoor and the fact that a great deal of it is undisturbed for much of the year is an encouragement to the wildlife. ... The Emley Moor tower Emley Moor (located at ) is an area of moorland near the village of Emley, near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England (national grid reference: SE222128). ... Dunster Yarn Market (a covered market for the sale of local cloth, built in 1609) and Dunster Castle, Exmoor Exmoor National Park is a national park situated on the Bristol Channel coast of Devon and Somerset in South West England. ... Ilkley Moor is a part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. ... Marston Moor, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire was the site of the battle of Marston Moor, the last great battle of the English Civil War in 1644. ... North York Moors National Park is a National Park in the north of England. ... Rannoch Moor is a large expanse of around 30 square miles (78 km²) of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch, in the Watsonian Vice County of Mid Perth and the County of Perthshire, in Scotland. ... Ilkley Moor is the highest part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. ... Saddleworth Moor looking toward the Wessenden valley Saddleworth Moor is an area of heath moorland on the northern English Pennine hill-range between Holmfirth and Uppermill. ... The Shropshire Hills area is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). ... Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. ... Mid to upper reach of the Ythan Estuary The Ythan Estuary (57 20 30 N, 01 57 30 W) is the tidal component of the Ythan River, emptying into the North Sea approximately 19 kilometers north of Aberdeen, Scotland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Motto: (Eng: No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... Rugged coastline of the West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ...

• Tanner Moor, Austria

Rubener Pond, Tanner Moor Tanner Moor is one of the largest moorlands in Austria with a surface area of 120 hectares. ...

Conservation

Anthropogenic moorland would slowly revert to other types of vegetation such as woodland were it not for scrub and saplings being periodically removed, usually by controlled burning. Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used, but it is important the material is removed to avoid smothering regrowth. In Europe it has been found that heather seeds germinate better if subject to the brief heat of controlled burning. Anthropogenic effects or processes are those that are derived from human activities, as opposed to effects or processes that occur in the natural environment without human influences. ... Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is a treed area differentiated from a forest. ... Firing the woods in a South Carolina forest with a custom made igniter mounted on an all terrain vehicle. ...

If the heather and other vegetation is left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This is may cause a wildfire which may burn out a large area. However, generally moorland wildlife has evolved to cope with even major fires and are easily able to recover if such intense burnings are not too frequent. {{alternateuses}} The Old Fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, brush fire, peat fire (gambut in Indonesia), bushfire (in Australasia), or hill fire, is an uncontrolled fire often occurring in wildland...

References

1. ^ Camilla Bonn: 'That Jack Cunningham wants half of us out of farming', in Country Life, 15 January 1998, pp 28-35

Country Life is a weekly country magazine in Britain and Australia. ...

See also

• Exmoor pony