SC.5.L.17.1 Adaptation and Survival in Florida Plants: Pine Trees

SC.5.L.17.1: Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors, and physical characteristics.

How Do Pine Trees Survive in a Wildfire Environment?

Pine trees grow in upland communities. Uplands are areas where rainfall can soak into the ground or runoff into other area. This means that, except for some flooding during the summer rainy season, uplands are dry most of the year. Pine trees, saw palmetto, and grass make up most of the plants in a pine forest.

As the plants in a pine forest grow, dead needles, branches, and leaves fall to the ground. Over time these dead plant parts will pile up. During the dry season, these dead plant parts are extremely dry, and burn easily. The return of summer thunderstorms brings lightning. All of the plants and animals in a pine forest are well adapted to living in this habitat where changes to the environment can happen very quickly: wildfire.

Pine trees have a life cycle well-adapted to fire environments. When pine seeds germinate and begin to grow, the seedlings grow low to the ground and are surrounded by moist needles. When fire burns through the pine forest, the seedling survives, protected by the moist needles surrounding it.

The next stage in a pine trees life cycle is the sapling. This is often called the rocket phase, because the pine sapling will grow quickly to rise above the level of fires. Wildfire can happen every three to five years in a pine forest, and the rocket phase means the tree quickly rises above the level of the fires.

The adult state of the pine tree life cycle sees the tree with branches high above the ground. This height protects the branches from damage from the flames burning below the thick bark of the adult pine tree will burn and flake off, revealing new bark inside.

Pine tree have adapted to a fire environment, showing both physical structures and life cycle adaptations that enable them to survive wildfires.

Pine forests provide important habitat for many Florida animals, including this red-bellied woodpecker. Woodpeckers will make their home in dead trees, and search for food in living trees. Hawks, deer, gopher tortoises, and the Florida Panther can also be found in pine forests.