California Plant Communities

Question 1

Explain what a plant community is.

Answer 1

A group of plant species that interact with each other and their environment

Question 2

What are the 4 factors that influence the type of plant community that determine where a plant can live?

Answer 2

1. Biotic Factor
2. Edaphic Factor
3. Physiography
4. Climate

Question 3

What are biotic factors?

Answer 3

• Human use
• history
• other animals
• other plants

Question 4

What are edaphic factors?

Answer 4

• Soil: it’s physical and chemical composition
• minerals

Question 5

What is physiography?

Answer 5

topography = slope, terrain, elevation, canyons, and ridges

Question 6

What is climate?

Answer 6

temperature, winds, fire, solar radiation, water

Question 7

Explain how we determine if a plant is dominant.

Answer 7

1. The size of the plant.
2. The abundance relative to other plants in the community.
3. Its effect on the community.

Question 8

What is a woodland?

Answer 8

Woodlands have trees but they are spread out

Question 9

What is a forest?

Answer 9

Trees are closer together.

Question 10

What is a scrub?

Answer 10

a plant community made mainly of desert shrubs and bushes

Question 11

Explain the process of ecological succession.

Answer 11

1. A disturbance happens
2. plants return maybe same or different kind
3. A plant community will change gradually into another plant community over many years

Question 12

What boundaries do plant communities have?

Answer 12

None. Some plant communities will overlap into the next plant community