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Ecology and Ecosystems > 7-11: Temperate Forests, Forest Floor, Forests in the Future > Flashcards

7-11: Temperate Forests, Forest Floor, Forests in the Future Flashcards

1
Q

What is the temperate zone?

A

Seasons of spring, summer, autumn, winter
Moderate climate
Long growing season
40 and 60/70 degrees North and South of the equator

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2
Q

What is the average temperature in temperate zones?

A

5-20 degrees C

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3
Q

What is the temperate zone mean annual rainfall?

A

25-200cm

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4
Q

What is a biome?

A

A region defined by vegetation type and climate

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5
Q

Development of the biome concept

A 
Merriam 'life zones':
Focused on animals
Temperature varied with altitude
Loldridge 'life zones':
- Focused on plants
- Introduced water availability and evapotranspiration (tendency of water leave surface)
Whittaker:
- Plotted temperature vs. precipitation
- Simplification of Holdridge
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6
Q

Debate about whether Europe is really a temperate forest

A 
2000
Frans Vera
An open savannah with woodland glades?
But lots of trees that are wind pollinated
In savannah, grasses- don't flower often
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7
Q

2 types of forest

A

Evergreen

Deciduous

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8
Q

Temperate rainforest requirements

A

Precipitation over 1400mm
Mean annual temp 4-12 degrees C
Mostly evergreen

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9
Q

Advantages of having deciduous leaves

A

Reduced area for water loss
Buds are cheaper to produce
Can get rid of disease/damaged tissue

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10
Q

Disadvantages of having deciduous leaves

A

Nutrients are lot in autumn

Slow start in spring

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11
Q

Advantages of having evergreen leaves

A

Quick start in spring
Can photosynthesise over winter
No lost nutrients
Keeps the understory in the shade

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12
Q

Disadvantages of having evergreen leaves

A

Generally lower capacity for photosynthesis
Lower N-use efficiency
Poorly optimised photosynthesis

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13
Q

What is Gause’s Law of Competitive Exclusion?

A

No 2 spcies can occupy the same ecological niche and co-exist
One will always out-compete the other

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14
Q

How do trees in the same forest all grow together?

A

All use same resources- do they occupy same niche?

No- have a mixture of tree species

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15
Q

What is succession?

A

Where the structure of a biological community evolves over time

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16
Q

Example of primary succession

A

Sand dunes

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17
Q

Example of secondary succssion

A

Recovery after a forest fire

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18
Q

What is cyclical succession?

A

A small number of species tend to replace each other over time in the absence of large-scale disturbance
Disturbances include wind, fire, grazing, and human, fire, felling, management

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19
Q

What is primary succession?

A

A rapid transition from bare rock to broad-leafed forest
Previous plants create soil for new, bigger plants
Does not stop!

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20
Q

Primary succession of birch

A

Birch seeds are very light, disperse by wind well

Grow quickly, are very tolerant

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21
Q

What is secondary succession?

A

Development of an ecosystem on previously vegetated land

Typically scrub -> birch -> oak in the UK

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22
Q

Filling the forest gaps

A

If a big tree falls, everything in the space will grow
Beech falls = large gap, replaced by ash, birch, sycamore
Fallen ash = little gap, replaced by tolerant beech that doesn’t require much sun

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23
Q

The replacement plant will depend on…

A 
The year (mast years, where only seeds every 2 years)
The weather- rainfall, temperature
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24
Q

Strategy theory

A

r_____________K

r: reproduction, like disturbed habitats eg. birch
K: carrying capacity, like stability eg. oak

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25
Q

What was the ‘Great Storm’ of 1987?

A

134mph winds
22 people killed
15 million trees felled
On Toys Hill, Kent, new growth was dominated by birch

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26
Q

What is Dutch Elm Disease?

A

Killed most elm trees in the UK in the 70s
Fungus carried by elm bark beetle
Elm is clonal, so little genetic variation

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27
Q

What is Sudden Oak Death?

A

Not serious in British oaks

Oomycete (fungus-like)

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28
Q

What is ‘Acute Oak Decine’?

A

Bacterial disease

Kill British Oak

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29
Q

What is Ash dieback?

A

Caused by airborne fungus
Took 20 years to reach the UK from central Europe
Expected to kill most UK ash trees

30
Q

Disturbance by insects

A

Leaf eaters eg. Ash sawfly

Sap feeders eg. Aphids

31
Q

Disturbance by small mammals and birds

A

Seed eaters- prevent dispersal

Some eat bark/buds

32
Q

Disturbance by large herbivores

A

May eat seedlings/leaves
Stop forest regeneration
Eg. Fallow deer in UK browse seedlings, fraying (rub antlers against bark), pull up recently planted trees

33
Q

Human disturbance

A

Eg. coppicing- where trees are cut close to the base

34
Q

How to stop large herbivores

A

Culling

Re-introduction of predators eg. wolves

35
Q

What is the Manchester museum Alderley Edge project?

A

1997-2003
Tree planting happened 1745-1755
Over 1000 plant species identified
19 tree species identified

36
Q

What trees were mainly found at Alderley Edge?

A

Oak
Birch
Beech
Scots Pine

37
Q

What was the most common tree at Alderley Edge?

A

Oak (followed by beech)

38
Q

Where does beech grow?

A

Moist climates

Well drained soil

39
Q

What plants were found at Alderley Edge?

A

Brambles (blackberries) found in clearings, hedgerows

Important food for lepidoptera

40
Q

Examples of indicator species

A

Rowan
Holly
Wood sorrel

41
Q

What is Grime’s triangle?

A

Theories of surviving on the forest floor
Three strategies:
Competitor
Stress tolerator
Ruderal
These strategies each thrive best in a unique combination of either high or low intensities of stress and disturbance

42
Q

What light is shade light enriched in?

A

Green

Far red

43
Q

What is partial shade rich in?

A

Green
Far red
Blue

44
Q

How do sun plants grow?

A

Sense far red light
Try to outgrow the shade
This is a shade avoidance response

45
Q

What photoreceptor senses red/far red light?

A

Phytochrome

46
Q

Do shade plants respond to phytochrome signals telling them to get taller?

A

No

47
Q

What is different about shade plant chlorophyll?

A

Shade plants have a lower Chl a : b ratio
So have more Chl b per Chl a
Chl b absorbs different wavelengths, so can absorb light ‘missed’ by sun plants

48
Q

Shade plant leaves

A

Shade plants have thinner leaves
Leaves are arranged in a single layer
Leaves don’t overlap
Fewer roots in relation to shoots (higher shoot : root ratio)

49
Q

Stinging nettle features

A

High N requirement
High protein content
High photosynthetic rates
Good competitor- fast growing, dense but dies down in winter

50
Q

Types of light foraging

A

Vertical foraging

Horizontal foraging

51
Q

What is vertical foraging

A

Growing up trees

Eg. ivy

52
Q

What is horizontal foraging?

A

Stolons (runners)- take roots at points along length to form new plants
Eg. blackberries

53
Q

Plants that do seasonal shade avoidance

A

Deciduous understory plants
They leaf/flower in spring or autumn before trees leaf
Have underground storage tissues eg bulbs, so ready for a quick start in spring
Eg. bluebells

54
Q

Examples of human activities that affect distribution and nature of forests

A

Coppicing
Plantations
Forest clearance- eg for livestock
Urbanisation

55
Q

What does elevated CO2 lead to

A

Changing climates

56
Q

What does an increasing human population do

A

Increase food and fuel demand

57
Q

3 ways of measuring the effects of elevated CO2 on forests

A

Expose a leaf to high CO2
Expose a whole plant to high CO2
Expose a whole ecosystem to high CO2

58
Q

Expose leaf to CO2 theory

A

Ci = conc of CO2 in leaf
In the day, Ci decreases due to use by photosynthesis
Replaced by CO2 from stomata
Conc gradient as lower CO2 inside leaf
Elevating CO2 levels = increase in photosynthesis
Increased Ci = increased Rubisco activity

59
Q

3 ways to expose a whole plant to high CO2

A

Growth chamber studies
Greenhouse studies
Open top chambers

60
Q

What are growth chamber studies?

A

Limited space
Stable environment
Can change CO2 conc and light
But can’t grow tall or provide natural light
Light only to the top of plant- doesn’t reflect nature

61
Q

What are greenhouse studies?

A

More space
More natural light
Temperature is buffered
Can grow taller plants

62
Q

What are open top chambers?

A 
Near a natural environment
Still buffered from the wind
Basically a big tent with a fan
CO2 is added
Can use for small trees
The best
63
Q

What effect does elevated CO2 have on Ponderosa Pine saplings?

A

More photosynthesis in natural environment when there is an increased CO2
Actual phot. is elevated, but capacity is reduced
Change investment in different processes
Invest less in carbon capture
This is called acclimation

64
Q

What happens when there is acclimation of photosynthesis?

A

Less Rubisco

So lower protein content

65
Q

How do you expose a whole ecosystem to high CO2?

A

‘FACE’- free air CO2 enrichment

Pipes pump out CO2 to trees based on wind direction

66
Q

What is POP-FACE?

A

Exposing a poplar coppice to high CO2

Looked at 3 species over 3 months

67
Q

Why use poplar for POP-FACE?

A

Grows 10m every 10 years- fast growing

68
Q

What did POP-FACE find?

A

Trees with increased CO2 were doing more photosynthesis

But increased photosynthesis does not necessarily mean increased growth (more wood)

69
Q

Effects of elevated CO2 on leaf litter

A

Accumulation of leaf litter
Trees producing more and so dropping more leaves?
Or because fallen leaves are decaying slower?

70
Q

FACE conclusions

A

Fast growing trees maintained enhanced growth
Leaves were greener longer
Increased P in soil
40-45% increase in net Carbon sequestration 3-5 years after CO2 increase

71
Q

7 year study on temp increase

A

Up to 2010
5 degree rise in soil temp
2 plots, one heated, one not
Only soil warmed- no direct effects on canopy
Found that warming will reduce C in soil, but increase C in trees
But effects on photo. not considered

Ecology and Ecosystems (4 decks)

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