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Intro > Classification > Depressions > Mountaintop Depression
Mountaintop Depression
Wetland Class: Depressions
Wetland SubClass: Isolated Depression
Introduction: Mountaintop Depression
Landscape Setting and Hydrology
Mountaintop depressions are usually small (0.2ha to about 1ha), roughly circular features that occur on mountain ledges and mountaintops. They may be associated with sinkholes or other geologic features that impound water within otherwise steep and fairly dry topography, but are separated as a unique community type based on their isolated occurrence in mountainous terrain, and because they often support plant populations that are highly disjoint from the normal species distribution. Vegetation
Sites that have been sampled or reported are usually strongly dominated by only one of the overstory species listed below, although other species also occur. The dominant species are typical of floodplain and swamp sites of lowlands. Although none of the dominant species are uncommon in the state, their occurrence within the mountains is highly unusual. Characteristic Plants
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| Diospyros virgniana | persimmon | | Liquidambar styraciflua | sweetgum | | Quercus lyrata | overcup oak | |
| Acer rubrum | red maple | | Cephalanthus occidentalis | buttonbush | |
| Smilax rotundifolia | greenbrier | | Sphagnum spp. | sphagnum |
Distribution
These wetlands are very uncommon, and the only examples known to exist on public property are within the Ozark National Forest.
Other Isolated Depression Community TypesSand Pond
Sinkhole
Unconnected Alluvial Depression
Valley Train Pond
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