Moorland

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For other uses, see Moorland (disambiguation).

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 low growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland habitats are most extensive in the neotropics and tropical Africa but also occur in small scattered locations in northern and western Europe, Northern Australia, North America, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the world's moorlands are very diverse ecosystems. Some areas of European moorlands 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 bird species such as Red Grouse, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Golden Plover, Curlew, Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Whinchat, Ring Ouzel, and Twite. Other species dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are few 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 such as frogs are well-represented in moorlands. When moorland is overgrazed, woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable grasses and bracken, with a greatly reduced fauna.

Image:Shira moorlands on Kilimanjaro.jpg

Moorland of Kilimanjaro

1 Ecology
2 Notable moorlands
3 Conservation
4 References
5 See also

[edit] 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 is found the the rare species of Exmoor Pony, which 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]

In higher 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.

[edit] 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 few very small pockets in western Herefordshire.

Bleaklow, Dark Peak, UK
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:

Tanner Moor, Austria

[edit] Conservation

Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used in Europe, but it is important for the material to be 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.

In Europe, if the heather and other vegetation is left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This may result in a wildfire burning 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.