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Aheath (/hiːθ/) is ashrublandhabitat found mainly on free-draining infertile,acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation.Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths[1] with—especially inGreat Britain—a cooler and damper climate.
Heaths are widespread worldwide but are rapidly disappearing and considered a rare habitat in Europe.[2] They form extensive and highly diverse communities acrossAustralia in humid and sub-humid areas wherefire regimes with recurring burning are required for the maintenance of the heathlands.[3] Even more diverse though less widespread heath communities occur inSouthern Africa. Extensive heath communities can also be found in the Texaschaparral,New Caledonia, centralChile, and along the shores of theMediterranean Sea. In addition to these extensive heath areas, thevegetation type is also found in scattered locations across all continents, exceptAntarctica.
Heathland is favored where climatic conditions are typically hard and dry, particularly in summer, and soils acidic, of low fertility, and often sandy and very free-draining; amire may occur where drainage is poor, but usually is only small in extent. Heaths are dominated by low shrubs, 20 centimetres (8 in) to 2 metres (7 feet) tall.
Heath vegetation can be extremely plant-species rich, and heathlands of Australia are home to some 3,700 endemic or typical species in addition to numerous less restricted species.[3] Thefynbos heathlands of South Africa are second only to tropical rainforests in plant biodiversity with over 7,000 species.[4] In marked contrast, the tiny pockets of heathland in Europe are extremelydepauperate with a flora consisting primarily ofheather (Calluna vulgaris),heath (Erica species) andgorse (Ulex species).
The birdfauna of heathlands are usually cosmopolitan species of the region.[3][4] In the depauperate heathlands of Europe, bird species tend to be more characteristic of the community, and includeMontagu's harrier and thetree pipit. In Australia the heathland avian fauna is dominated by nectar-feeding birds such ashoney-eaters andlorikeets, although numerous other birds fromemus toeagles are also common in Australian heathlands. The birds of the South African fynbos includesunbirds, warblers and siskins. Heathlands are also an excellent habitat for insects includingants, moths, butterflies and wasps; many species are restricted entirely to it. One such example of an organism restricted to heathland is the silver-studded blue butterfly,Plebejus argus.[5]
Anthropogenic heath habitats are acultural landscape that can be found worldwide in locations as diverse asNorthern andWestern Europe, theAmericas,Australia,New Zealand,Madagascar andNew Guinea.
These heaths were initially made or expanded by centuries of human clearance of the natural forest and woodland vegetation bygrazing and burning. In some cases, this clearance went so far that parts of the heathland have given way to open spots of pure sand andsand dunes, with a local climate that, even in Europe, can rise to temperatures of 50 °C (122 °F) in summer, drying the sand spot bordering the heathland and further raising its vulnerability for wildfires. Referring to heathland in England,Oliver Rackham says, "Heaths are clearly the product of human activities and need to be managed as heathland; if neglected, they turn into woodland".[6]
The conservation value of these human-made heaths has become much more appreciated due to their historical cultural value as habitats;[7] consequently, most heathlands are protected. However, tree incursion also threatens them because of the discontinuation of traditional management techniques, such as grazing and burning, that mediated the landscapes. Some are also threatened byurban sprawl. Anthropogenic heathlands are maintained artificially by a combination of grazing and periodic burning (known as swailing),[8] or (rarely) mowing; if not so maintained, they are rapidly recolonised by forest or woodland. The recolonising tree species will depend on what is available as the local seed source, and thus it may not reflect the natural vegetation before the heathland became established.
The heath features prominently in:
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