Heath (habitat) Heathland Moorland See Also

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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. They subdivide into two broad categories depending on climate, with true heathland developing in warm, dry conditions, and moorland developing in cooler, wetter conditions. As they have developed over a long period, a unique assemblage of plants and animals has adapted to thrive in these habitats. Modern techniques of agriculture now threaten much of this habitat, by ploughing, fertilising and planting with arable crops, or conversion to commercial treeThis article is about the biological organisms known as trees. For other meanings of the word see tree (disambiguation). oak tree in Denmark A tree can be defined as a large perennial woody plant. Though there is no set definition of size, it is generally plantationA Plantation is a deliberately cultivated area, for example: a large farm, growing one species of plant only, eg. Pine plantations produce raw material for paper-making. Tobacco and coffee also grow on plantations. During the 1800s, Slave labour typicallys. Some are also threatened by urban sprawlUrban sprawl (also called suburban sprawl describes the growth of a metropolitan area, particularly the suburbs, over a large area. In examples of this phenomena, such as Los Angeles, California and Houston, Texas, new development is often low- density, w.

1 Heathland

Heathland at Woodbury Common, DevonThis page is about the English county, for alternative meanings see Devon (disambiguation). Devon is a county in South West England, bordering on Cornwall to the west, Dorset and Somerset to the east. The name Devonshire was common but is no longer used, ( EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England). Purple flowers of Calluna vulgaris and yellow flowers of Ulex gallii Heathland is a lowland habitat, and is favoured where climatic conditions are typically warm and dry, particularly in summerSummer is one of the four temperate seasons. Astronomically, it begins with the summer solstice (around 21 June in the Northern hemisphere, and 21 December in the Southern hemisphere) and ends with the autumn equinox (around 21 September in the Northern h, and soils acidic, of low fertility, and often sandSand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. Sand is a naturally occurring, finely divided rock, comprising particles or granules ranging in size from 0. 063 to 2 mm. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain .y and very free-draining; bogA bog is a wetland type that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material. The term peat bog in common usage is not entirely redundant, although it would be proper to call these sphagnum bogs if the peat is comprised mostly of acidophilic moss (peats do occur where drainage is poor, but are usually only small in extent. It is dominated by low shrubs, 0.2-2 m tall, particularly heather (Calluna vulgaris), heath (Erica species) and gorse (Ulex species). It is noted for the brilliant colours when these species flower in late summer (see photo, left). The habitat is maintained artificially by a combination of grazing and periodic burning, or (rarely) mowing; if not so maintained, it is rapidly re-colonised by forest, mainly of pine (Pinus species) and Silver birch (Betula pendula).

Heathlands have a very typical associated bird fauna, notably Montagu's Harrier, Eurasian Hobby, European Nightjar, Wood Lark, Tree Pipit, European Stonechat and Dartford Warbler; where there are scattered trees, Green Woodpecker is also characteristic. Some reptiles are also largely confined to healthland, notably the Sand Lizard and the Smooth Snake, and one amphibian, the Natterjack Toad. It is also an excellent habitat for ants with many species being restricted entirely to it.

One of the biggest heathlands is the Lüneburger Heide in northern Germany. Other notable heaths include large parts of the New Forest and the Breckland in southern and eastern England respectively, and the Veluwe in the Netherlands, and smaller areas in Dorset, Devon and Surrey in southern England. Heathland habitats are also found in parts of Denmark, France and Spain.

2 Moorland

Upland moorland habitats occur mainly in northern & western Britain and Ireland, and are similar in also often being dominated by heather, but differ from typical heathland in being colder and much wetter, often with extensive bogs, giving rise to a different mix of associated fauna, such as Red Grouse, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Golden Plover, Curlew, Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Whinchat, Ring Ouzel and Twite. Reptiles are fewer due to the cooler conditions, with only the Common Viper being frequent. When moorland is overgrazed by excessive numbers of sheep or deer, most of the heather is lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken, with a greatly reduced fauna.

Notable areas of moorland in Britain include Bodmin Moor, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Dark Peak, the North York Moors, the Forest of Bowland, the Pennines, the Southern Uplands of Scotland and the Scottish Highlands.

1 See also

Heath, plant.

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