The bedrock consists primarily of limestone, with elevations ranging between 100 and 3000 ft. Caves are numerous.
The landscape of the plateau is mostly savanna scattered with trees. It mostly lacks deep soil suitable for farming, though the soil type is fertile mollisol, so some cotton, grain sorghum, and oats are grown. For the most part, though, the thin soil and rough terrain areas are primarily grazing regions, with cattle, sheep, and goats (Angora and meat types) predominant.[4] Several rivers cross the region, which generally flow to the south and east through the Texas Hill Country toward the Gulf of Mexico; springs occur (in wet years), but permanent surface water supplies are sparse throughout the area, except for man-made reservoirs. The area is well drained; rainwater flows into the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone at the south of the plateau to feed rivers to the south. Rainfall varies from 15 to 33 inches per year, typically, from northwest to southeast, and the area has a moderate temperature and a reasonably long growing season.
Floraedit
Trees of the savanna include Ashe junipers (locally called mountain cedar) and oak species, especially plateau live oak and Texas red oak, scattered over grasses such as little bluestem and sideoats grama, a vegetation type historically shaped by droughts and regular fires. Other abundant woody species include Texas mountain-laurel, Texas persimmon, cedar elm and agarito. Pecan trees are native in floodplains along springs and rivers, which are often lined with stands of baldcypress. [5] The Balcones Fault zone which runs along the southern and eastern edge of the plateau is an ecological demarcation for the ranges of a number of species.
Faunaedit
Caves of the Edwards Plateau are important habitats for wildlife and for many endemic species. The area is home to some of the largest colonies of bats in the world, including millions of Mexican free-tailed bats. The largest colony of these inhabits Bracken Cave near San Antonio, while the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin is the summer home for over half a million (they winter in Mexico) and is the largest bat colony anywhere in an urban area. The Edwards Plateau is home to at least 14 endemic freshwater fishes, including two subterranean species of catfish[6] and 13 fish species considered to be spring-associated.[7] Mechanisms for spring association of fishes is not fully understood, but thought to mediated by water temperature.[8] The large numbers of reptiles and birds also include breeding populations of the Texan endemic golden-cheeked warbler (Setophagachrysoparia).
Much of the natural habitat of the plateau has been converted to residential development, especially around Austin and San Antonio in the eastern part of the plateau. Further alteration to the savanna has incurred though the encroachment of shrubs now that grassland fires are carefully controlled. Small areas of intact habitat remain in protected areas such as the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge and Lost Maples State Natural Area. Another important area for wildlife is Fort Cavazos military base.[9]
Human historyedit
Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg by Hermann Lungkwitz, 1864, oil on canvas
Earliest human settlement of this area was by Native Americans.[10] First it was used and wandered about by Jumano and Coahuiltecan groups, then the Apacheria extended into the Southern Plains by the forerunners of the Lipan and MescaleroApaches. After the expulsion of the Apachean groups from the Plains by the Comanche, this area was dominated by the Penateka band of the Southern Comanche.
A map showing the counties is provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion.[13] The ecoregion is somewhat larger than the geographic region, as the map from Texas Parks And Wildlife includes additional counties that are listed by the Texas Water Development Board, notably the isolated area of Edwards Plateau in Taylor, Runnels, and Nolan Counties that is separated from the main region.
^ abcd Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN978-0-520-26256-0.
^Demarest, D. . Partners in Flight. Archived from the original on May 21, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
^Johnson, E. H. "Edwards Plateau". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
^Hill, Robert T. (1891). . In E. T. Dumble (ed.). First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas, 1889. Austin: State Printing Office. p. 134. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
^Bowles, David E.; Arsuffi, Thomas L. (December 1, 1993). "Karst aquatic ecosystems of the Edwards Plateau region of central Texas, USA: A consideration of their importance, threats to their existence, and efforts for their conservation". Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 3 (4): 317–329. Bibcode:1993ACMFE...3..317B. doi:10.1002/aqc.3270030406. ISSN 1099-0755.
^Craig, Cody A.; Kollaus, Kristy A.; Behen, Kenneth P. K.; Bonner, Timothy H. (February 1, 2016). "Relationships among spring flow, habitats, and fishes within evolutionary refugia of the Edwards Plateau". Ecosphere. 7 (2): n/a. Bibcode:2016Ecosp...7E1205C. doi:10.1002/ecs2.1205. ISSN 2150-8925.
^Bonner, Timothy H.; Maikoetter, Jeremy D.; Craig, Cody A. (January 4, 2019). "Temperature-mediated feeding between spring-associated and riverine-associated congeners, with implications for community segregation". PeerJ. 6: e6144. doi:10.7717/peerj.6144. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC6322479. PMID 30631643.
^"Edwards Plateau". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
^Maria de Fátima Wade. 2003. The Native Americans of the Texas Edwards Plateau, 1582-1799, University of Texas Press, 293 pages ISBN0-292-79156-9, ISBN978-0-292-79156-5
edwards, plateau, geographic, region, forming, crossroads, central, south, west, texas, united, states, named, honor, haden, edwards, bounded, balcones, fault, south, east, llano, uplift, llano, estacado, north, pecos, river, chihuahuan, desert, west, angelo, . The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region forming the crossroads of Central South and West Texas United States It is named in honor of Haden Edwards 2 It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west 3 San Angelo Austin San Antonio and Del Rio roughly outline the area The plateau especially its southeast portion is also known as the Texas Hill Country Edwards PlateauA photograph taken by NASA of the Edwards Plateau and Balcones EscarpmentEcologyRealmNearcticBiomeTemperate grasslands savannas and shrublandsBird species191 1 Mammal species64 1 GeographyCountryUnited StatesStateTexasConservationHabitat loss5 35 1 Protected2 26 1 Contents 1 Natural history 1 1 Flora 1 2 Fauna 2 Human history 3 Counties in the Edwards Plateau 4 Edwards Plateau gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksNatural history edit nbsp Edwards Plateau terrain as seen from U S Route 277 between Del Rio and Sonora The bedrock consists primarily of limestone with elevations ranging between 100 and 3000 ft Caves are numerous The landscape of the plateau is mostly savanna scattered with trees It mostly lacks deep soil suitable for farming though the soil type is fertile mollisol so some cotton grain sorghum and oats are grown For the most part though the thin soil and rough terrain areas are primarily grazing regions with cattle sheep and goats Angora and meat types predominant 4 Several rivers cross the region which generally flow to the south and east through the Texas Hill Country toward the Gulf of Mexico springs occur in wet years but permanent surface water supplies are sparse throughout the area except for man made reservoirs The area is well drained rainwater flows into the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone at the south of the plateau to feed rivers to the south Rainfall varies from 15 to 33 inches per year typically from northwest to southeast and the area has a moderate temperature and a reasonably long growing season Flora edit Trees of the savanna include Ashe junipers locally called mountain cedar and oak species especially plateau live oak and Texas red oak scattered over grasses such as little bluestem and sideoats grama a vegetation type historically shaped by droughts and regular fires Other abundant woody species include Texas mountain laurel Texas persimmon cedar elm and agarito Pecan trees are native in floodplains along springs and rivers which are often lined with stands of baldcypress 5 The Balcones Fault zone which runs along the southern and eastern edge of the plateau is an ecological demarcation for the ranges of a number of species Fauna edit Caves of the Edwards Plateau are important habitats for wildlife and for many endemic species The area is home to some of the largest colonies of bats in the world including millions of Mexican free tailed bats The largest colony of these inhabits Bracken Cave near San Antonio while the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin is the summer home for over half a million they winter in Mexico and is the largest bat colony anywhere in an urban area The Edwards Plateau is home to at least 14 endemic freshwater fishes including two subterranean species of catfish 6 and 13 fish species considered to be spring associated 7 Mechanisms for spring association of fishes is not fully understood but thought to mediated by water temperature 8 The large numbers of reptiles and birds also include breeding populations of the Texan endemic golden cheeked warbler Setophaga chrysoparia Much of the natural habitat of the plateau has been converted to residential development especially around Austin and San Antonio in the eastern part of the plateau Further alteration to the savanna has incurred though the encroachment of shrubs now that grassland fires are carefully controlled Small areas of intact habitat remain in protected areas such as the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge and Lost Maples State Natural Area Another important area for wildlife is Fort Cavazos military base 9 Human history edit nbsp Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg by Hermann Lungkwitz 1864 oil on canvas Earliest human settlement of this area was by Native Americans 10 First it was used and wandered about by Jumano and Coahuiltecan groups then the Apacheria extended into the Southern Plains by the forerunners of the Lipan and Mescalero Apaches After the expulsion of the Apachean groups from the Plains by the Comanche this area was dominated by the Penateka band of the Southern Comanche Counties in the Edwards Plateau editAccording to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department all or portions of these 41 counties comprise the Edwards Plateau geographic region 11 Bosque Bandera Bell Blanco Burnet Coke Comal Comanche Concho Coryell Crockett Edwards Erath Gillespie Hamilton Hays Hood Irion Kendall Kerr Kimble Lampasas Llano Mason McCulloch McLennan Menard Mills Palo Pinto Reagan Real San Saba Schleicher Somervell Sterling Sutton Tom Green Travis Upton Val Verde Williamson The Texas Water Development Board a state government agency includes additional counties all or partly in the Edwards Plateau area 12 Andrews Ector Glasscock Howard Jeff Davis Loving Martin Mitchell Nolan Pecos Reeves Runnels Taylor Uvalde Ward Winkler A map showing the counties is provided by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion 13 The ecoregion is somewhat larger than the geographic region as the map from Texas Parks And Wildlife includes additional counties that are listed by the Texas Water Development Board notably the isolated area of Edwards Plateau in Taylor Runnels and Nolan Counties that is separated from the main region Edwards Plateau gallery edit nbsp San Saba River near Sloan San Saba County 9 May 2014 nbsp Wildflowers on ranchland State Highway 965 Llano County 13 April 2012 nbsp Llano River from County Road 320 Kimble County 17 April 2015 nbsp Texas cooter Pseudemys texana and red eared slider Trachemys scripta Colorado River Travis County 12 April 2012 nbsp The Guadalupe River in Kerr County 8 May 2014 nbsp Ranchland with Texas bluebonnets Lupinus texensis in western Kerr County 17 April 2015 nbsp Bald cypress Taxodium distichum growing on the Guadalupe River Kerr County 14 April 2012 nbsp Ranchland in the Edwards Plateau Mason County 17 April 2015 nbsp Crevice spiny lizard Sceloporus poinsettii Mason County Texas US 9 May 2014 nbsp Highway 187 in the Edwards Plateau Bandera County Texas US 14 April 2012 nbsp Limestone bluff typical of the Edwards Plateau Highway 336 Real County 14 Apr 2012 nbsp Ranchland seen from Highway 336 Real County 14 April 2012 nbsp Scarlet penstemon Penstemon triflorus endemic to the Edwards Plateau Edwards County 18 April 2015 nbsp Ranch road in southern Edwards County 18 April 2015 nbsp Cedar Creek Edwards County 18 April 2015 See also editBalcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge Colorado River Texas Mount Bonnell List of ecoregions in the United States EPA List of ecoregions in the United States WWF References edit a b c d Hoekstra J M Molnar J L Jennings M Revenga C Spalding M D Boucher T M Robertson J C Heibel T J Ellison K 2010 Molnar J L ed The Atlas of Global Conservation Changes Challenges and Opportunities to Make a Difference University of California Press ISBN 978 0 520 26256 0 McCrain James Edwards County TSHA Demarest D Edwards Plateau Partners in Flight Archived from the original on May 21 2013 Retrieved September 2 2014 Johnson E H Edwards Plateau Handbook of Texas Online Retrieved March 12 2009 Hill Robert T 1891 A brief description of the Cretaceous rocks of Texas and their economic uses In E T Dumble ed First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas 1889 Austin State Printing Office p 134 Archived from the original on June 21 2010 Retrieved March 21 2010 Bowles David E Arsuffi Thomas L December 1 1993 Karst aquatic ecosystems of the Edwards Plateau region of central Texas USA A consideration of their importance threats to their existence and efforts for their conservation Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 3 4 317 329 Bibcode 1993ACMFE 3 317B doi 10 1002 aqc 3270030406 ISSN 1099 0755 Craig Cody A Kollaus Kristy A Behen Kenneth P K Bonner Timothy H February 1 2016 Relationships among spring flow habitats and fishes within evolutionary refugia of the Edwards Plateau Ecosphere 7 2 n a Bibcode 2016Ecosp 7E1205C doi 10 1002 ecs2 1205 ISSN 2150 8925 Bonner Timothy H Maikoetter Jeremy D Craig Cody A January 4 2019 Temperature mediated feeding between spring associated and riverine associated congeners with implications for community segregation PeerJ 6 e6144 doi 10 7717 peerj 6144 ISSN 2167 8359 PMC 6322479 PMID 30631643 Edwards Plateau Terrestrial Ecoregions World Wildlife Fund Maria de Fatima Wade 2003 The Native Americans of the Texas Edwards Plateau 1582 1799 University of Texas Press 293 pages ISBN 0 292 79156 9 ISBN 978 0 292 79156 5 Texas Parks and Wildlife http www tpwd state tx us huntwild wild birding pif assist pif regions region 7 phtml Mace Robert Aquifers of the Edwards Plateau PDF Texas Water Development Board Retrieved October 11 2020 Ecoregions of Texas PDF Texas Parks And Wildlife Retrieved October 12 2020 External links editJohnson E H June 12 2010 Edwards Plateau TSHA Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Plateaus and Canyonlands Texas Beyond History University of Texas at Austin Texas counties map showing the ecoregion 30 18 N 99 36 W 30 3 N 99 6 W 30 3 99 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Edwards Plateau amp oldid 1222857914, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
