• Lake Wales Ridge
• Lake Annie
• Station Habitats
• Natural History & Ecology of Archbold, A Short Bibliography
• Regional Bibliographies
• Main Property Fact Sheet
• Listed Species of Archbold
• Biodiversity Inventory
• Regional Exploration
• Regional Protected Areas

• Research
• Conservation
• Land Management
• Education
• MAERC
• Staff
• Events
• Publications

Archbold Biological Station is among the most distinctive natural preserves in the United States. It is situated near the southern end of the Lake Wales Ridge, in a unique ecological setting of xeric uplands, prairies, and diverse wetlands. The Ridge is a biodiversity "hot-spot" with one of the highest concentrations of endemic species in the United States. The Ridge is surrounded by the subtropical prairies and flatwoods of southern Florida.

A broad range of natural habitats and physiographic regions is represented on or near the Station.

Wetlands. Lakes and permanent or temporary ponds abound in the region. The Ridge contains a north-south line of sinkhole lakes, formed by local collapse of limestone deep beneath the overlying sand. These form one of the longest series of aligned, geologically related lakes in the United States. The southernmost sinkhole is Lake Annie on Archbold property. The eastern edge of the Ridge is flanked by several large, shallow lakes that all drain into the nearby Kissimmee River or Lake Okeechobee. Numerous seasonal wetlands are embedded in the surrounding prairies and flatwoods.

Uplands. Native uplands on the Ridge contain xeric woodlands and shrublands dominated by pines, shrubby oaks, and hickory. Some of the terrestrial habitats at Archbold are unique to the Highlands region of Florida, and are among the finest remaining remnants of a disappearing xeric upland ecosystem endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge. The major habitats are divisible into subtypes based on soil and vegetation structure, forming complex mosaic. The unique upland habitats contain numerous endemic plants and animals, many of which are on state or federal endangered species lists. The number of species thus far recorded on the Station’s main property includes 21 amphibians, 25 fishes, 44 mammals, 47 reptiles, 208 birds, 535 vascular plants, and more than 4,500 insects and other invertebrates, including the greatest diversity of ants (105 species) known from a single site in North America.

At the Station, additional diversity is provided by a small component of ruderal habitats including fence rows, fire lanes, and fallow fields. Tracts of oak scrub acquired recently by the Station include areas that are regenerating after being cleared or chopped. Response of habitats to different kinds of natural or human disturbance is being studied at the Station, research now considered to be essential for management of all xeric-upland preserves in the region.

Home | Top | Index | Lake Wales Ridge | Lake Annie