Heath

For other uses, seeHeath (disambiguation).

Not to be confused withHealth.

Flowering heath onAmrum,Germany

Aheath(/ˈhiːθ/) is ashrublandhabitatfound mainly on free-draining infertile,acidicsoils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation.Moorlandis generally related to high-ground heathswith—especially inGreat Britain—a cooler and damper climate.

Heaths are widespread worldwide but are fast disappearing and considered a rare habitat in Europe.They form extensive and highly diverse communities acrossAustraliain humid and sub-humid areas wherefire regimeswith recurring burning are required for the maintenance of the heathlands.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 typeis also found in scattered locations across all continents, exceptAntarctica.

Characteristics

Heathland is favoured where climatic conditions are typically hard and dry, particularly in summer, and soils acidic, of low fertility, and often sandy and very free-draining; amiremay 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.Thefynbosheathlands of South Africa are second only to tropical rainforests in plant biodiversity with over 7,000 species.In marked contrast, the tiny pockets of heathland in Europe are extremelydepauperatewith a flora consisting primarily ofheather(Calluna vulgaris),heath(Ericaspecies) andgorse(Ulexspecies).

The birdfaunaof heathlands are usually cosmopolitan species of the region.In the depauperate heathlands of Europe, bird species tend to be more characteristic of the community, and includeMontagu's harrierand thetree pipit.In Australia the heathland avian fauna is dominated by nectar-feeding birds such ashoney-eatersandlorikeets,although numerous other birds fromemustoeaglesare 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.

Anthropogenic heaths

Anthropogenicheath habitats are acultural landscapethat can be found worldwide in locations as diverse asnorthernandwestern Europe,theAmericas,Australia,New Zealand,MadagascarandNew Guinea.

These heaths were originally made or expanded by centuries of human clearance of the natural forest and woodland vegetation, bygrazingand 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 Rackhamsays, "Heaths are clearly the product of human activities and need to be managed as heathland; if neglected they turn into woodland".

The conservation value of these human-made heaths has become much more appreciated due to their historical cultural value as habitats;consequently, most heathlands are protected. However they are also threatened by tree incursion 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),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.

In literature

The heath features prominently in:

• King Lear,byWilliam Shakespeare
• Wuthering Heights,byEmily Brontë
• The Return of the Native,byThomas Hardy
• Ethan Frome,byEdith Wharton

Gallery

• 
  Lüneburg Heath,an anthropogenic heath inLower Saxony,northern Germany
• 
  Fynbosheathland,South Africa
• 
  Heathland atWoodbury Common, Devon(England), featuring purple flowers ofCallunavulgarisand yellow flowers ofUlex gallii
• 
  Heathland inRoyal National Park,Sydney
• 
  Heathland in theVeluweforest,Netherlands
• 
  Heath in thePõhja-Kõrvemaa Nature ReserveinEstonia
• 
  Heath on theKraków-Częstochowa UplandinPoland
• 
  A heath landscape in theStirlingmountains ofWestern Australia,with a "dieback"-infested valley in the mid-ground

See also

• Bolster heath
• Chalk heath
• Garrigue
• Maquis shrubland
• Matorral
• Scrubland

External links

• The Countryside Agencyinformation on types of open land
• Origin of the word 'heath'