Ecoregions of TexasEcoregions of Texas

What Is An Ecoregion?What Is An Ecoregion?

• Ecoregion- a major area with distinctive landforms, characteristic plants and animals, and receives uniform solar radiation and precipitation

Smaller than a biome

Where Are They?Where Are They?• Region 1: Pineywoods

• Region 2: Cross Timbers or Oak Woods and

Prairies

• Region 3: Blackland Prairies

• Region 4: Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes

• Region 5: Coastal Sand Plains

• Region 6: South Texas Brush Country

Where Are They?Where Are They?

• Region 6: South Texas Brush Country

• Region 7: Edwards Plateau

• Region 8: Llano Uplift

• Region 9: Rolling Plains

• Region 10: High Plains

• Region 11: Trans Pecos

Region 1Region 1Piney Woods

• Climate: average annual rainfall of 36-50 inches is fairly uniformly distributed throughout the year, and humidity and temperatures are typically high

• Soil: generally acidic• Geography: rolling terrain• Vegetation: pine and oak tall hardwood forests, timber and

cattle production are important industries, swamps are common in southern part

Piney Woods

Caddo Lake

Athens

Tyler

Palestine

Rusk

Region 2Cross Timbers or Oak Woods & Prairies

•Climate: Average annual rainfall averages 28-40 inches per year•Soil: Upland soils are light colored, acidic sandy loam or sands. Bottomland soils may be light brown to dark gray and acidic with textures ranging from sandy loams to clays•Geography: gently rolling to hilly terrain•Vegetation: patches of oak woodland alternate with grassland, cattle ranching is major industry

Region 3

Blackland Prairies•Climate: average annual rainfall ranges from 28-48 inches. May is the peak rainfall month for the northern end of the region; however, the south-central part has a fairly uniform rainfall throughout the year. •Soil: soils are uniformly dark-colored alkaline clays•Geography: gently rolling to nearly level terrain•Vegetation: Rich fertile soils produce food and forage crops, crop production and cattle ranching are main industries

Oak Woods, Prairies & Blackland Prairies

Waco, Dallas, Lake Dallas, Killeen, College Station, Huntsville

Region 4Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes

•Climate: annual rainfall varies from 30-50 inches per year, high humidity and warm temperatures •Soil: acidic sands and sandy loams, with clays occurring in the river bottoms•Geography: barrier islands along the coast, marshes near bays and estuaries, and prairies•Vegetation: salt grass, tallgrass prairies, live oak woodlands, important habitat for migratory birds and spawning areas for fish and shrimp

Region 5Coastal Sand Plains

•Climate: Average annual rainfall is 24-28 inches per year •Soil: primarily windblown•Geography: windblown sands and unstable dunes with grasslands, stands of oak, and salt marshes•Vegetation: tallgrass prairie with live oak woodlands, mesquite savannah, and salt marshes, formerly known as “Wild Horse Prairie” now it is mostly grazed by cattle

Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes

Padre Island

Brownsville

Houston

Corpus Christi

Galveston

Region 6South Texas Brush Country

•Climate: average annual rainfall of 20-32 inches increases from west to east. Summer temperatures are high, with very high evaporation rates•Geography: flat plains to gently rolling terrain •Vegetation: thorny shrubs, trees, and cactus scattered with patches of palms and subtropical woodlands, home to many species of wildlife from Mexico to grasslands and deserts

South Texas Brush CountryLaredo, San Antonio

Region 7

Edwards Plateau•Climate: average annual rainfall ranges from 15-34 inches•Soil: usually shallow with a variety of surface textures, underlain by limestone•Geography: many springs, stony hills, and steep canyons and caves; several river systems dissect the surface, creating a rough and well-drained landscape•Vegetation: grasslands, juniper/oak woodlands, and plateau live oak or mesquite savannah, ranching is main industry

Region 8 Llano Uplift

•Climate: averages about 24-32 inches per year•Soil: coarse textured sands, produced from weathered granite over thousands of years•Geography: some of the oldest rocks in Texas, the region contains unique minerals and rock formations and large granite domes( Enchanted Rock near Fredricksburg); hilly to rolling landscape•Vegetation: oak-hickory or oak-juniper woodlands, mesquite-mixed brush savannah, and grasslands

Edwards PlateauLlano Uplift

AustinBastropSan MarcosRound-Rock

Region 9Rolling Plains

•Climate: average annual rainfall is 20-28 inches; dry summers with high temperatures and high evaporation rates•Soil: vary from coarse sands along outwash terraces by streams, to clays and shales•Geography: gently rolling hills and broad flats are cut by several rivers and their tributaries •Vegetation: mesquite and shortgrass savannah; various hardwood species along streams, juniper on steep slopes along rivers

Region 10High Plains

•Climate: extended droughts have occurred several times this century•Soil: surface texture of soils ranges from clays in the north to sands in the south; Caliche underlies these surface soils at depths of two to five feet•Elevation: ranges from 3,000-4,500 feet above sea level•Geography: relatively level high plateau•Vegetation: mostly irrigated cropland; native vegetation includes mesquite and juniper

Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Lubbock, Abilene

Panhandle Plains

Region 11Trans Pecos

Climate: Less than 12 inches of rain; semi-arid, warm, dry winters

Soil: generally shallow, saline, and unproductive

Elevation: 2,500 feet to mountain ranges, highest peak is 8,751 feet above sea level

Geography: salt basins, sand hills, rugged plateaus, mountain slopes

Vegetation: desert grassland, desert scrub, coniferous and mixed hardwood forests at mountain peaks

Trans Pecos

El Paso, Midland, Odessa

My Ecoregion

• Which region do you live in?

• Have you ever visited another region?