The Ecology of Hydric Hammocks - USGS National Wetlands ...

and cerambyci d beet1 es) . Unl i ke 1 arvaeof other types of borers, theseoccur only between the bark and sapwood;hence they are available onlyfor a few years after death of thetree, and their overall density isquite low, even in virgin forest. Thenear extinction of this woodpecker isattributed mainly to cutting of virginforest, accelerated by hunting by Indiansfor ornaments, by scientists andcollectors for specimens, and by localresidents for curiosity and for food.The ivory-bi 1 l disappeared from mostof Florida by 1900-15. By 1935 only afew remnant populations were left; the1 ast re1 i able report from Gulf Hammockwas in 1934 (Tanner 1942).The Carol i na parakeet (Conuropsiscaro 7 inensis) a1 so occupied hydri chammock (McKinley 1985), but therecorded observations are too vague toprovide a sense of the importance ofthis association. Apparently thisspecies occurred primari 1 y in cypressswamps and pine flatwoods, where itfed on conifer seeds. However, thereare several specific references toCarolina parakeets seen or collectedin hydric hammock: Gulf Hammock, LevyCounty (Laurent 1906; Gordon 1909) ;hammock woods and cypress swampsaround Or1 ando and Sanford (Nehrl ing1896) ; and numerous 1 ocal i ti es thatare near both hydric hammock and primaryfeeding habitats.Although it did not appear in thesamples reported in Table 11 (perhapsdue to the highly clumped dispersionand nomadic travels of its flocks),the cedar waxwing (Bombyci 1 la cedrorum)is quite abundant in hydric hammock,especially in autumn and winter.The species is named for its preferencefor cedar berries (Martin et a7.1951); cedar berries may be exceptionallynutritious because of their highlipid content. A flock of waxwingsusually feeds until satiated and thenrests in a group on bare limbs of atree near the food source. Most seedspass rapidly through the digestivesystem and are deposited with the fecesnear but not under the parenttree, after which the birds often feedagain. This association of seed-dis-perser and fruit-producer may be aprimary force in maintaining the redcedarcomponeni uf iile iiYU;r ;L ;I~I~IIIIUL;Icommunity .4.4 MAMMALS4.4.1 Communitv StructureThe mammal s occurring in hydri c hammockhave been identified (Table 12),but the status designation providespoor resolution uf ab~:id~~;~t. In pitfalltrapping directed at reptiles andamphi bi ans, the small mammals capturedin hydric hammock or bayhead (datapooled) per 1,000 pit-nights were 2.70short-tai led shrews, 0.74 southeasternshrews, 0.25 least shrews, and 0.25golden mice (Florida Game and FreshWater Fish Commission 1976). In pitfalltrapping directed at shrews incoastal hydric hammock, the small mammalscaptured in 772 pit-nights werethree southeastern shrews, elevenshort-tai led shrews, and one leastshrew (Humphrey et a7. 1986). Mammaltracks counted per mile in loblollypine hydric hammock (Florida Game andFresh Water Fish Commission 1976) included11.33 for white-tailed deer,2.00 for armadillo, and 0.67 for feralhogs. Individual mammal s observedwhile night-lighting along 91 milestravelled in loblolly pine hydric hdmmock(Florida Game and Fresh WaterFish Commission 1976) included 34whi te-tailed deer, 20 armadillos, 5rabbits, 4 raccoons, and 3 opossums.Mi scel 1 aneous observations of mammal smade per 100 hours in a habitat type(Florida Game and Fresh Water FishCommission 1976) included: coastalhydric hammock--4 whi te-tailed deerand 4 long-tailed weasels; inland hydrichammock--3 whi te-tailed deer; andloblolly pine hydric hammock--22 armadillos,8 white-tailed deer, 5 raccoons,4 opossums, and 3 gray squirrels. The number of squirrel s seen orheard per hour whi 1 e conduct i ng poi ntcountsof birds (Florida Game andFresh Water Fish Commission 1976) washighest among 18 habitat types in inlandhydric hammock (2.40) -,ld thirdhighest in coastal hydric hammock(1.67), but none were detected in