By Kristen Mayers

 Coastal Upland– mesic or xeric communities restricted to barrier islands and near shore; woody or herbaceous vegetation
 Xeric- dry or low in moisture
 Mesic- moderate or well-balance supply of moisture
 Berm- a long narrow wedge of sand with the steep slope facing towards the sea

•
What is a
Coastal Berm?
Long narrow ridge of storm-deposited marine debris that is parallel to the shore
• Formed by a mixture of coarse shell fragments, coralline algae, and other coastal debris.

Distribution
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
Southern peninsula of Florida
Florida Keys
Status


Poor
Declining

 Occurs on coarse calcareous sediment and not on limestone rock
 Elevation is higher than normal tide heights
 Occurs on shelly substrate rather than sandy
 Mixture of tropical herbs shrubs and trees
 Lacks a continuous canopy

 Gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba)
 Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera)
 Silver palm (Coccothrinax argentata)
 Blolly (Guapira discolor)
 Milkbark (Drypetes diversifolia)
 Sevenyear apple (Genipa clusiifolia)
 Poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum)

 Spanish stopper (Eugenia foetida)
 Hog plum (Ximenia americana)
 White indigoberry (Randia aculeata)
 Florida Keys blackbead (Pithecellobium keyense)
 Saffron plum (Sideroxylon celastrinum)

 Perfumed spiderlily (Hymenocallis latifolia)
 Bayleaf capertree (Capparis flexuosa)
 Buttonsage (Lantana involucrata)
 Rougeplant (Rivina humilis)
 Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans)
 Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
 White mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa),
 Bay cedar (Suriana maritima)
 Bushy seaside oxeye (Borrichia frutescens)

 Pride-of-big-pine (Strumpfia maritima)
 Joewood (Jacquinia keyensis)
 Wild dilly (Manilkara jaimiqui

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Ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata)
Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Southeastern Beach Mice (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris)
St. Andrews Beach Mice (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis)
Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas )
Hawksbill Sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Loggerhead Sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
Leatherback Sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius)
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)

 Invasion of exotic species
 Human encroachment and development
 Storm disturbance

 Fire is not a management tool in this habitat because it is rare to non-existent.
 Removal of invasive exotics
 Berm repair
 Preservation of existing berm habitat
 Restriction of real estate along coastal upland communities

 Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State
Park (Monroe County)
 Long Key State Park (Monroe County)
 Marquesas Long Beach in Key West National Wildlife
Refuge (Monroe County)

 It is an evergreen shrub community growing on stabilized coastal dunes in the peninsula of Florida, often with a smooth canopy due to pruning by salt spray.

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Distribution
Found along
Atlantic coast of
Georgia and Florida
Southwest Gulf
Coast
Florida Panhandle
(once pass into
Alabama and
Mississippi become coastal grassland communities)

 Soil
 Deep well drained sand
 Alkaline
 Made of quarts sand combined with shell pieces

 Fire
 Little to no information  Cover
 Smooth canopy
 Shrubs are source of cover for wildlife
 Food
 Seagrapes, Prickly apple

•
•
Poor
Declining
•
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Species within this habitat are globally vulnerable and subnationally imperiled
G3/S2

Temperate Coastal Strand Plant species
 Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens)
 Cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto)
 Tough bully (Sideroxylon tenax)
 Red bay (Persea borbonia)
 Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
 Live oak (Quercus virginiana)

 Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera)
 Myrsine (Rapanea punctata)
 Buttonsage (Lantana involucrata)
 White indigoberry (Randia aculeata)
 Spanish stopper (Eugenia foetida)
 Wild lime (Zanthoxylum fagara)
 Florida Keys Blackhead (Pithecellobium keyense)

 Simpson's prickly apple (Harrisia simpsonii)
 Joewood (Jacquinia keyensis)
 Coastal vervain (Glandularia maritima)
 Atlantic coast Florida lantana (Lantana depressa var.
floridana)
 Gulf coast Florida lantana (Lantana depressa var.
sanibelensis).

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Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
Southeastern Beach Mice (Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris)
St. Andrews Beach Mice (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis)
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas )
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
Eastern Indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi)
Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus woodi)
Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina bauri)
Land Hermit Crab (Coenobita clypeatus)
Piping plover(Charadrius melodus)


Climate variability
 Conversion to housing and urban development
 Conversion to recreation areas
 Incompatible fire
 Recreational activities
 Invasive animals and plants
 Roads
 Light pollution
 Fire

 Removal of invasive plants and animals
 Restrictions on recreational use
 Limitations on human development
 Restrictions on beach nourishment and dredging
 Awareness and Education on light pollution

 Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine
Research Reserve – Guana site (formerly Guana River
State Park, St. Johns County)
 Canaveral National Seashore (Volusia/Brevard
County)
 Hollywood North Beach Regional Park (Broward
County)
 Cayo Costa State Park (Lee County)