User:Skinnedmink/Mississippi lowland forests

Mississippi lowland forests are floodplain forests located alongside the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. They are primarily bottomland hardwood forests and are often subject to seasonal flooding.

Species

 * Bald Cypress
 * Water Tupelo
 * Black Willow
 * Water Hickory

History
Mississippi lowland forest ecoregion historically occupied over 10,000,000 hectares. The forest played host to forest interior species such as the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

Ecological services
These forests provide several functions such as ground-water recharge, water quality enhancement through reduced turbidity, and flood flow alteration. They also contain high degree of biodiversity. Estimates suggest aquatic food chains in bottomland forests can account for two to five times more wildlife species than upland forests. Flooded areas of the Mississippi lowland forest provide home to up to 40% of the continental mallard duck population during the winter months.

Threats
Natural flooding is the primary form of disturbance in this ecoregion. Flood protection has reduced natural flooding by an estimated 50-90% degrading habitat for migratory birds. From the 1940s to the 1970s large parts of the forest were converted to agriculture, primarily for soybean production. Roughly 25% of the historically forested area remains. Calculations made in 2002 estimate that the region consists of 86,938 forest patches with an average size of 42 hectares. Fewer than 100 of these patches are thought to be large enough to support a self-sustaining population of forest breeding birds.

Significant natural areas in the ecoregion
Missouri Arkansas Louisiana
 * Crowley's Ridge
 * White River National Wildlife Refuge
 * Big Woods Conservation Area