Longleaf Pine

This is a picture I took on Saturday of a longleaf pine found just outside of Randall library. The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is found in most of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains; they thrive in wet and temperate climates with hot summers and mild winters. The longleaf pine has a very interesting life cycle. In order to reproduce the pine produces seeds that develop into cones and are distributed by wind. In order to grow and develop the seeds must come in contact with soil and take root. Once rooted the seeds develop into what appears to be a patch of grass consisting of clumps of needles. During this “grass stage” the central root is developing underground which at full maturity, can grow up to twelve feet long. Soon after this stage the pine begins to grow in height and become the tree we see all around campus. The longleaf pine is also crucial to the ecosystem and the survival of many other species. For example, the red-cockaded wood pecker depends on the insects and spiders that live in the bark of the pine as a part of their diet. It is because of it’s importance as a food source to other organisms that a number of organizations are working to expand the longleaf pine forests that once covered nearly 90 million acres.

#uncw #ecology #bio366 #uncweteal #Sp2017 #image1

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