ANCIENT SPECIES, RECENT THREATS

Species. These ancient sand dunes that we call the Lake Wales Ridge were periodically isolated from North America by rising sea levels during recent ice ages. The plants and animals living in the harsh environment of these dunes were also isolated from their continental relatives and some developed differences that persisted when the sea receded and the Ridge was reunited with North America. Many of these dune plants and animals remained restricted to the Ridge. Thus, the Lake Wales Ridge has one of the highest concentrations in North America of endemic (locally- restricted) species (Dobson, A.P., et al. 1997. Geographic distribution of endangered species in the United States. Science 275:550-553.).

Threats. Since 1945, land-use changes on the Ridge have greatly reduced the native upland habitats of oaks and pines and the populations of plants and animals dependent on them. By 1990, about 83% of these Ridge habitats were lost to agriculture or to commercial and residential development (Archbold Biological Station, Menges, E.S., et al., unpublished data).

A rosemary bald, with young sand pines, at Archbold Biological Station (Bald 89, Tract 31), Highlands County, Florida. This is important habitat for several endangered herbaceous plants and for sand skinks. Digital photo by Christine V. Hawkes, February 2000.

ENDANGERED/THREATENED SPECIES
FEDERAL PROTECTION
USFWS. Beginning in 1985, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that some Ridge plants and animals were either endangered or threatened with extinction and qualified for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. As of 2000, these Lake Wales Ridge, Federally-listed species include 19 plants, 3 reptiles, and one bird (see Table 1 below) (see also: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1999. South Florida multi-species recovery plan. USFWS, Southeast Region, Atlanta, Georgia. 2172 pp.).

THE LIST OF SPECIES
This list (see Table 1 below) of endangered, threatened, or rare species of the Lake Wales Ridge includes plants and animals of the Florida scrub (and associated upland communities such as sandhills, scrubby flatwoods, seepage slopes, and sandhill upland lakes) that occur in Highlands, Lake, Polk, Orange, and Osceola counties. The list includes only species associated with uplands as defined in the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) database (see FNAI below). The Ridge supports 35 plant taxa (with 21 endemic to the Ridge) and 14 vertebrate taxa (with 2 endemic to the Ridge) listed (as of June 2000) as endangered, threatened, or of special concern by federal or state government, or tracked as rare by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI). This list is linked to internet sources of pictures or brief text.

Two important sets of hard-copy publications exist that contain information about these Ridge species.

• Chafin, L.C. 2000. Field guide to the rare plants of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee.
• Hipes, D., D.R. Jackson, K. NeSmith, D. Printiss, and K. Brandt. 2001. Field guide to the rare animals of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee.

Sources of Images
FNAI. Since 1981, the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) has been tracking Florida's biodiversity. In May 2001, FNAI published their "Field guide to the rare plants of Florida" by Linda C. Chafin. A Web edition was published in June 2001. The "Field guide to rare animals of Florida," by Dan Hipes, et al., was published in hard-copy in 2001, and on the Web in June 2001. (See also: Schultz, G.E., L.G. Chafin, and S.T. Krupenevich. 1999. Rare plant species and high quality natural communities of twenty-six CARL sites in the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee. 200 pp.)
ISB. The Institute for Systematic Botany (ISB), at University of South Florida's Herbarium, has developed an illustrated Internet atlas of Florida's plant distribution. Each Lake Wales Ridge plant species listed here is linked to one, or several images (if they exist) at the ISB Web site.

THE STATUS CODES

Federal Status-USFWS.

• LE: Listed as Endangered: any species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
• LT: Listed as Threatened: a species which is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.
• N: Not listed nor being considered for listing.

State Status-FFWCC.

State Status-FDA.

• LE: Listed as Endangered: Plant species native to Florida that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue.
• LT: Listed as Threatened:  Plant species native to Florida that are in rapid decline in  number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such numbers as to cause them to be endangered.

FNAI-Status Rank. The Global (G) element rank is based on a species' worldwide status; the State (S) rank is based on the species' status in Florida.

Table 1. Endangered, Threatened, or Rare Species of the
Upland Habitats of the Lake Wales Ridge