The Layers and Corridors
of Habitats
By Lee Bundrick, Kiawah Conservancy
Land Preservation Coordinator
T
he ecosystem on Kiawah Island hosts a
32
variety of wildlife. From resident bobcats to
migratory songbirds, the ephemeral beauty
of nature continues to inspire the Island’s
human residents. In order to enhance our understanding
of Kiawah’s wildlife, it is important to know more about the
relationships our wildlife have with the land in which they
live. Kiawah’s habitats provide the glue that binds wildlife
to their environment. Habitats include both living and
nonliving elements, each providing services that support life.
These “ecosystem services” provided by biologically diverse
elements ultimately bring balance to the ecosystem and allow
it to adapt to changing conditions over time.
Our habitats are primarily defined by the naturally
occurring vegetation within the landscape. Each habitat’s
plant community varies in composition and provides
unique services. Tidal marshlands are dominated by smooth
cordgrass as well as black needlerush and other salt-loving
plants that occur in the high marsh. Although the flora within
the tidal salt marsh is not diverse, it is often considered one
of the most biologically productive habitats on earth. This
is because of the organic matter within the pluff mud that
provides the fuel for flourishing estuarine wildlife.
While the marsh only consists of one layer of vegetation,
groundcover, this changes further inland beginning at
the edge of the marsh. As elevation gradually increases,
groundcover meets a shrub layer consisting of wax myrtles,
yaupon hollies, coastal junipers, and other types of vegetation.
This habitat, salt shrub thicket, provides nesting and resting
areas as well as food resources for a variety of wildlife. It is
also considered a transitional zone between tidal marshland
and upland maritime forest habitat. Similar in nature to
the salt shrub thicket is the maritime shrub thicket, which
is found on the landward side of beach dunes. Very dense
thickets of shrubby oak trees form in these areas. They are
naturally pruned by aerosol salts introduced by winds off the
ocean, creating a sloped appearance like a well-manicured
hedgerow.
Naturally Kiawah