Massachusetts

===Ecology===
The primary [[biome]] of inland Massachusetts is [[temperate deciduous forest]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ricklefs |first1=Robert |title=The Economy of Nature |date=December 17, 2008 |publisher=W. H. Freeman |isbn=978-0716786979 |page=96 |edition=6th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqFLjZLwKxIC&pg=PA96 |access-date=April 22, 2015}}</ref>
Although much of Massachusetts had been cleared for agriculture, leaving only traces of [[old-growth forest]] in isolated pockets, secondary growth has regenerated in many rural areas as farms have been abandoned.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stocker |first=Carol |title=Old growth, grand specimens drive big-tree hunters |url=http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2005/11/17/old_growth_grand_specimens_drive_big_tree_hunters/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=November 17, 2005 |access-date=October 17, 2009}}</ref> Forests cover around 62% of Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Current Research—Working Landscapes |publisher=The Center for Rural Massachusetts—The [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] |access-date=March 19, 2009 |url=http://www.umass.edu/ruralmass/currentresearch.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226064502/http://umass.edu/ruralmass/currentresearch.html |archive-date=February 26, 2009 }}</ref> The areas most affected by human development include the Greater Boston area in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west, although the latter includes agricultural areas throughout the Connecticut River Valley.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northeastern Coastal Zone—Ecoregion Description |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |access-date=October 17, 2009 |url=http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/east/eco59Report.html}}</ref> There are 219 [[endangered species]] in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |title=MESA List Overview |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/species-information-and-conservation/mesa-list/ |publisher=Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs |access-date=April 22, 2015 |archive-date=April 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423090320/http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/species-information-and-conservation/mesa-list/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A number of species are doing well in the increasingly urbanized Massachusetts. [[Peregrine falcon]]s utilize office towers in larger cities as nesting areas,<ref>{{cite web |title=Peregrine Falcon |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/falco-peregrinus.pdf |publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref> and the population of [[coyote]]s, whose diet may include garbage and roadkill, has been increasing in recent decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eastern Coyote |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/fish-wildlife-plants/mammals/eastern-coyote-in-massachusetts.html |publisher=[[Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs]] |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref> [[White-tailed deer]], [[raccoon]]s, [[wild turkey]]s, and [[eastern gray squirrel]]s are also found throughout Massachusetts. In more rural areas in the western part of Massachusetts, larger mammals such as [[moose]] and [[American black bear|black bears]] have returned, largely due to [[reforestation]] following the regional decline in agriculture.<ref>{{cite news |title=Forests lure moose to Massachusetts |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0214/p13s02-sten.html |work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |access-date=April 22, 2015}}</ref>

Massachusetts is located along the [[Atlantic Flyway]], a major route for migratory [[waterfowl]] along the eastern coast.<ref>{{cite news |title=Atlantic Flyway |newspaper=Audubon |date=November 13, 2014 |url=http://www.audubon.org/atlantic-flyway |publisher=National Audubon Society |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref> Lakes in central Massachusetts provide habitat for many species of fish and waterfowl, but some species such as the [[common loon]] are becoming rare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chasing loons: Banding the elusive birds at night on the Quabbin Reservoir |date=July 28, 2014 |url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/chasing_loons_banding_the_elus.html |publisher=masslive.com |access-date=April 23, 2015}}</ref> A significant population of [[long-tailed duck]]s winter off [[Nantucket]]. Small offshore islands and beaches are home to [[roseate tern]]s and are important breeding areas for the locally threatened [[piping plover]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Coastal Waterbird Program |publisher=Mass Audubon |access-date=May 28, 2010 |url=http://www.massaudubon.org/cwp/}}</ref> Protected areas such as the [[Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge]] provide critical breeding habitat for shorebirds and a variety of marine wildlife including a large population of [[grey seal]]s. Since 2009, there has been a significant increase in the number of [[Great white shark]]s spotted and tagged in the coastal waters off of [[Cape Cod]].<ref>{{cite web |title=It was a record-breaking year for shark research off Cape Cod |work=The Boston Globe |access-date=March 30, 2020 |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2019/11/18/review-2019-great-white-shark-season-cape-cod}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sharks have multiplied off Cape Cod beaches, devouring gray seals and putting swimmers on edge |work=USA Today |access-date=March 30, 2020 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/08/20/sharks-cape-cod-beach-seals-ocean-new-england/1953956001/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Map: Where great white sharks roam off Cape Cod |publisher=capecodtimes.com |access-date=March 30, 2020 |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/great-white-sharks-map |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629014700/https://www.capecodtimes.com/great-white-sharks-map |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Freshwater fish species in Massachusetts include [[Bass (fish)|bass]], [[Common carp|carp]], [[catfish]], and [[trout]], while saltwater species such as [[Atlantic cod]], [[haddock]], and [[American lobster]] populate offshore waters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commonly Caught Species |url=http://www.eregulations.com/massachusetts/fishing/saltwater/commonly-caught-species/ |website=eregulations.com |publisher=The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries |access-date=May 9, 2015}}</ref> Other marine species include [[Harbor seal]]s, the endangered [[North Atlantic right whale]]s, as well as [[humpback whale]]s, [[fin whale]]s, [[minke whale]]s, and [[Atlantic white-sided dolphin]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mammals in Massachusetts {{!}} Mass.gov |url=https://www.mass.gov/service-details/mammals-in-massachusetts |website=www.mass.gov |access-date=December 4, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

The [[European corn borer]], a significant agricultural pest, was first found in North America near Boston, Massachusetts in 1917.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Details—A progress report on the investigations of the European corn borer—Biodiversity Heritage Library|last1=Caffrey|first1=D. J.|last2=Worthley|first2=L. H.|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.108390|year = 1927|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/108390}}</ref>