Generally, Texas is divided into 10 natural regions or ecoregions: the Piney Woods, the Gulf
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and these are known as the Gulf States.
Quercus stellata
Quercus stellata, the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry, poor soils, and is resistant to rot, fire, and drought. Interbreeding occurs among white oaks, thus many hybrid species combinations occur.
Savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland grassland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily o…
Texas blackland prairies
The Texas Blackland Prairies are a temperate grassland ecoregion located in Texas that runs roughly 300 miles from the Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in the south. The prairie was named after its rich, dark soil.
Cross Timbers
The term Cross Timbers, also known as Ecoregion 29, Central Oklahoma/Texas Plains, is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas. Made up of a mix of prairie, savanna, and woodland, it forms part of the boundary between the more heavily forested eastern country and the almost treeless Great Plains, and al…
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, South and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Austin, San Antonio and …
High Plains
The High Plains are a subregion of the Great Plains mostly in the Western United States, but also partly in the Midwest states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota, generally encompassing the western part of the Great Plains before the region reaches the Rocky Mountains. The High Plains ar…
How are the ecoregions of Texas determined?
How are the ten ecoregions of Texas determined? By the physical features such as plants, animals, and landforms. What are four ecoregions of Texas? Piney woods, Trans-Pecos, Edwards Plateau, and gulf coast parties and marsh lands.
What are ecoregions?
Ecoregions are areas where ecosystems (and the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources) are generally similar.
What are the different types of ecoregions?
Ecoregions are classified by biome type, which are the major global plant communities determined by rainfall and climate. Forests, grasslands (including savanna and shrubland), and deserts (including xeric shrublands) are distinguished by climate (tropical and subtropical vs.
What is an example of an ecoregion?
A terrestrial ecoregion is a certain area of land which is different from the area near it. It has a distinct climate, geology, type of soil, water availability, and distinct living species (the animals and plants that live in the ecoregion). For example, one ecoregion can be a desert.
What state has the most ecoregions?
50 states. Alaska is the most biodiverse state with 15 ecoregions across 3 biomes in the same realm. California comes in a close second with 13 ecoregions across 4 biomes in the same realm.
Where is the rolling plains in Texas?
A portion of the Rolling Plains Ecological Region of Texas extends into the northwestern, western, and southwestern counties of Northcentral Texas including portions of Clay, Wichita, Wilbarger, Baylor, Archer, Throckmorton, Shackelford, Callahan, Taylor, Nolan, Mitchell, Howard, Coke, Sterling, Tom Green, Irion, ...
Are ecozones and ecoregions the same thing?
Ecoregion: A unique area of land and water nested within an ecozone that is defined by a characteristic range and pattern in climatic variables, including temperature, precipitation, and humidity.
What type of biome is Texas?
Texas Blackland PrairiesBiomeTemperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublandsBordersEast Central Texas forests (area 33 on the map), Edwards Plateau (area 30 on the map) and Cross Timbers (area 29 on the map)Bird species216Mammal species6112 more rows
What three things determine ecoregions?
Ecoregions are identified at three hierarchical levels of detail—domain, division, and province—based primarily on climatic conditions and on the prevailing plant formations determined by those conditions.
How many ecoregions are there?
867The terrestrial scheme divides the Earth's land surface into 8 biogeographic realms, containing 867 smaller ecoregions. Each ecoregion is classified into one of 14 major habitat types, or biomes.
What is an ecoregion simple definition?
(ˈiːkəʊˌriːdʒən ) noun. an area defined by its environmental conditions, esp climate, landforms, and soil characteristics.
How many ecoregions are there in the US?
15 broad, level I ecological regions; 50 level II ecological regions intended to provide a more detailed description of the large ecological areas nested within the level I regions; and. 182 Level III ecoregions, which are smaller ecological areas nested within level II regions.
What is an ecoregion simple definition?
(ˈiːkəʊˌriːdʒən ) noun. an area defined by its environmental conditions, esp climate, landforms, and soil characteristics.
What is an ecoregion biology?
An ecoregion is "a relatively large unit of land or water containing a geographically distinct assemblage of species, natural communities, and environmental conditions" (WWF, 1999); thus, the ecosystems within an ecoregion have certain distinct characters in common (Bailey, 1998a).
What is the difference between biomes and ecoregions?
An ecosystem is smaller in comparison to a biome as a biome can be widely distributed all through the earth. Unlike an ecosystem, a biome is strongly influenced by its physical factors, such as climatic conditions such as snow, temperature, rainfall etc.
What are the 6 ecoregions of Texas?
Texas EcoregionsPineywoods. Rolling terrain covered with pines and oaks, and rich bottomlands with tall hardwoods, characterize the forests of the east Texas Pineywoods. ... Gulf Prairies and Marshes. ... Blackland Prairie. ... South Texas Plains. ... Rolling Plains. ... High Plains.
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Description
A report on the the development of areas known as ecoregions in Texas with environmental information for each region.
Identifier
Unique identifying numbers for this report in the Portal or other systems.
What is the biological diversity of Texas?
Ecological and biological diversity of Texas is enormous . The state contains barrier islands and coastal lowlands, large river floodplain forests, rolling plains and plateaus, forested hills, deserts, and a variety of aquatic habitats. There are 12 level III ecoregions and 56 level IV ecoregions in Texas and most continue into ecologically similar parts of adjacent states in the U.S. or Mexico.
What is an ecoregion?
Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and ecosystem components. By recognizing the spatial differences in the capacities and potentials of ecosystems, ecoregions stratify the environment by its probable response to disturbance (Bryce and others, 1999). These general purpose regions are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources within the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000).
What scale is the Ecoregions of the Conterminous United States?
Omernik, J.M., 1987, Ecoregions of the conterminous United States (map supplement): Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v. 77, no. 1, p. 118-125, scale 1:7,500,000.
What is the scale of the level III ecoregion?
The level III and IV ecoregions on this poster were compiled at a scale of 1:250,000 and depict revisions and subdivisions of earlier level III ecoregions that were originally compiled at a smaller scale (USEPA 2003; Omernik 1987). This poster is part of a collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region VI, USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Collaboration and consultation also occurred with the United States Department of the Interior-Geological Survey (USGS)-Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center, and with other State of Texas agencies and universities.
How many ecological regions are there in the US?
The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997). At level III, the continental United States contains 104 ecoregions and the conterminous United States has 84 ecoregions (United States Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA], 2003). Level IV is a further subdivision of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the methods used to define the USEPA’s ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Omernik and others (2000), Griffith and others (1994), and Gallant and others (1989).
What are the levels of ecoregions?
Ecoregions are general purpose regions that are critical for structuring and implementing ecosystem management strategies across federal agencies, state agencies, and nongovernment organizations that are responsible for different types of resources in the same geographical areas (Omernik and others, 2000). A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997). At level III, the continental United States contains 104 regions whereas the conterminous United States has 84 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005). Level IV ecoregions are further subdivisions of level III ecoregions. Methods used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to define the ecoregions are explained in Omernik (1995, 2004), Omernik and others (2000), and Gallant and others (1989).
How are ecological regions identified?
The approach used to compile this map is based on the premise that ecological regions can be identified through the analysis of the spatial patterns and the composition of biotic and abiotic phenomena that affect or reflect differences in ecosystem quality and integrity (Wiken, 1986; Omernik, 1987, 1995). These phenomena include geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The relative importance of each characteristic varies from one ecological region to another regardless of the hierarchical level. A Roman numeral hierarchical scheme has been adopted for different levels of ecological regions. Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions (Commission for Environmental Cooperation Working Group, 1997). At level III, the continental United States contains 104 ecoregions and the conterminous United States has 84 ecoregions (United States Environmental Protection Agency [USEPA], 2003). Level IV is a further subdivision of level III ecoregions. Explanations of the methods used to define the USEPA’s ecoregions are given in Omernik (1995), Omernik and others (2000), Griffith and others (1994), and Gallant and others (1989).
Where is the Southern Tertiary Uplands Ecoregion?
The Southern Tertiary Uplands ecoregion generally covers the remainder of longleaf pine range north of the Flatwoods (35f) on Tertiary sediments. Longleaf pine often occurred on sand ridges and uplands, but open forests were also found on other soil types and locations in 35e and 35f.
Where are the terraces in Texas?
The Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces ecoregion covers significant terrace deposits on major streams in Louisiana and Arkansas, but terraces are less extensive in Texas, occurring mostly along the Red River. Some smaller terraces occur along the Sulphur River but are not mapped at this scale.
What is the endangered woodpecker in Texas?
The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, one of eight woodpecker species in East Texas, prefers open, mature pine forests. Their numbers have declined as the forests in Ecoregion 35 have changed due to fire suppression, pine plantation management, and encroachment of hardwoods. Extensive economic activity along the northern Texas Gulf Coast, such as the Port of Texas City, creates environmental impacts on many coastal natural resources. Texas leads the nation in marine commerce. Photo: USACE
What are the lower slopes of the Chihuahuan Desert?
The lower slopes of the mountains, composed of eroded limestone, shale, and sandstone, represent a continuation of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem; soils and vegetation in much of Ecoregion 23a are similar to those in the Low Mountains and Bajadas (24c) of the Chihuahuan Deserts ecoregion (24).
What is the San Antonio prairie?
The San Antonio Prairie is a narrow, 100-mile long region occurring primarily on the Eocene Cook Mountain Formation. Soils of Ecoregion 33c are mostly Alfisols, with some Vertisols, and Mollisols. Generally, there are fewer Vertisols compared to the Northern Blackland Prairie ecoregion (32a) to the west.
What is the average annual precipitation in Ecoregion 33b?
Annual precipitation averages 40-48 inches compared to 28-40 inches in Ecoregion 33b.
What are the bottomlands of the Red River?
The Red River Bottomlands contain the floodplain and low terraces of the Red River within Ecoregion 35 . The region includes the meandering channel of the Red River, oxbow lakes, meander scars, ridges, and backswamps. The Holocene alluvium associated with Red River deposition is of variable texture and permeability.
