Editing Tennessee (section)

=== Ecology ===
[[File:Cedar-glade-col-tn1.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photograph of a cedar glade, a rare ecosystem found in Middle Tennessee|[[calcareous glade|Cedar glade]]s are an ecosystem that is found in regions of Middle Tennessee where limestone bedrock is close to the surface]]

Tennessee is within a [[temperate deciduous forest]] biome commonly known as the Eastern Deciduous Forest.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dyer |first1=James M. |title=Revisiting the Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America |journal=[[BioScience]] |date=April 2006 |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=341–352 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2006)56[341:RTDFOE]2.0.CO;2 |publisher=Oxford University Press|doi-access=free}}</ref> It has eight [[List of ecoregions in the United States (EPA)|ecoregion]]s: the [[Blue Ridge Mountains|Blue Ridge]], [[Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians|Ridge and Valley]], Central Appalachian, Southwestern Appalachian, [[Interior Low Plateaus]], Southeastern Plains, Mississippi Valley Loess Plains, and [[Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ecoregion)|Mississippi Alluvial Plain]] regions.<ref name=fap20>{{cite report |docket= |last1=Slayton |first1=Heather |last2=Johnson |first2=Trish |last3=Greene |first3=Rachel |last4=Hill |first4=Jeff |last5=Hiltibran |first5=Christel |title=Tennessee Forest Action Plan 2020-2030 |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/agriculture/documents/forestry/2020-tn-fap/2020-TN-FAP.pdf |publisher=Tennessee Department of Agriculture |date=December 2020 |pages=14–19 |access-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514185936/https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/agriculture/documents/forestry/2020-tn-fap/2020-TN-FAP.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee is the most [[biodiverse]] inland state,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Amacker |first=Todd |title=Tennessee—The Most Biodiverse Inland State |journal=Fisheries |publisher=American Fisheries Society |location=Bethesda, MD |volume=43 |issue=8 |pages=369–373 |date=August 9, 2018 |s2cid=91480878 |doi=10.1002/fsh.10124|bibcode=2018Fish...43..369A}}</ref> the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most biodiverse national park,<ref name=climatechange>{{cite web |author1=Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency |author2=National Wildlife Federation |author3=The Nature Conservancy |title=Climate Change and Potential Impacts to Wildlife in Tennessee |url=https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/documents/habitat/climatefacts.pdf |website=tn.gov |access-date=May 14, 2021 |location=Nashville}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=WATE Staff |title=GSMNP reaches biodiversity milestone of 20,000 species |url=https://www.wate.com/news/tennessee/gsmnp-reaches-biodiversity-milestone-of-20000-species/ |access-date=May 14, 2021 |publisher=[[WATE-TV]] |date=January 12, 2021 |location=Knoxville, TN}}</ref> and the [[Duck River (Tennessee)|Duck River]] is the most biologically diverse waterway in North America.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sohn |first1=Pam |title=Tennessee's Duck River in National Geographic |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/green/story/2010/jan/27/tennessees-duck-river-in-national-geographic/3260/ |access-date=May 14, 2021 |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |date=January 27, 2010}}</ref> The Nashville Basin is renowned for its diversity of flora and fauna.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sarah|date=December 15, 2020|title=7 Dangerous Animals in Tennessee: Deadliest Wildlife Guide|url=https://www.journeyingtheglobe.com/most-dangerous-animals-in-tennessee|access-date=April 10, 2021|website=Journeying The Globe|archive-date=April 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410070124/https://www.journeyingtheglobe.com/most-dangerous-animals-in-tennessee|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tennessee is home to 340 species of birds, 325 [[freshwater fish]] species, 89 mammals, 77 amphibians, and 61 reptiles.<ref name=climatechange/>

Forests cover about 52% of Tennessee's land area, with [[Oak–hickory forest|oak–hickory]] the dominant type.{{sfn|Slayton|Johnson|Greene|Hill|2020|p=3}} [[Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests#Dry oak–pine forests|Appalachian oak–pine]] and [[Cove (Appalachian Mountains)#Cove forest|cove hardwood]] forests are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, and [[bottomland hardwood forest|bottomland hardwood]] forests are common throughout the Gulf Coastal Plain.<ref name=ut95/> [[Pine]] forests are also found throughout the state.<ref name=ut95>{{cite report|last1=Hopper|first1=George M.|last2=Applegate|first2=Hart|last3=Dale|first3=Greg|last4=Winslow|first4=Richard|date=February 1995|title=Forest Practice Guidelines for Tennessee|url=https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/pb1523.pdf|publisher=University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service|access-date=May 14, 2021|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514194840/https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/pb1523.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest]] in the highest elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains is considered the second-most endangered ecosystem in the country.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Moore |first=Molly |date=June 11, 2012 |title=Last Stand for the Southern Spruce-Fir? |journal=The Appalachian Voice |publisher=[[Appalachian Voices]] |location=Boone, North Carolina |volume= 2012 |issue=3 |url=https://appvoices.org/2012/06/11/last-stand-for-the-southern-spruce-fir/ |access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref> Some of the last remaining large [[American chestnut]] trees grow in the Nashville Basin and are being used to help breed [[blight]]-resistant trees.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tennessee Chestnut Project |url=https://www.tectn.org/americanchestnutproject.html |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=tectn.org |publisher=Tennessee Environmental Council |access-date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Middle Tennessee is home to many unusual and rare ecosystems known as [[Calcareous glade|cedar glades]], which occur in areas with shallow limestone bedrock that is largely barren of overlying soil and contain many endemic plant species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Quarterman |first1=Elsie |author1-link=Elsie Quarterman |title=Ecology of Cedar Glades. I. Distribution of Glade Flora in Tennessee |journal=Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club |date=January 1950 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.2307/2482376 |jstor=2482376 |publisher=Torrey Botanical Society |location=New York}}</ref>

Common mammals found throughout Tennessee include [[white-tailed deer]], [[red fox|red]] and [[gray fox]]es, [[coyote]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[opossum]]s, [[wild turkey]]s, [[rabbit]]s, and [[squirrel]]s. [[American black bear|Black bear]]s are found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee has the third-highest number of amphibian species, with the Great Smoky Mountains home to the most [[salamander]] species in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Amphibians |url=https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/amphibians.htm# |website=Great Smoky Mountains National Park |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref> The state ranks second in the nation for the diversity of its freshwater fish species.<ref name=natureserve>{{cite report |last1=Stein|first1=Bruce A.|date=April 2002 |title=States of the Union: Ranking America's Biodiversity |url=https://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/stateofunions.pdf |publisher=[[NatureServe]] |access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref>