Clay Belt Boreal Flashcards
what does glacialcustorine mean?
Historical remanence of a fresh water lake
What physiographic region/ rock type does the clay belt lie on?
The Canadian shield which is hard and nutrient poor and acidic, the bedrock on top is sedimentary
What tree is very common here and why?
Balsam fir more common here than in western parts of the boreal forest, why? More moisture and More precipitation
What caused the clay belt?
is all clay left by the lake barlow ojibway, It is made of crushed and dissolved limestone
What does lots of clay mean?
lots of wetlands
What grows in Fens?
Bog bean is found commonly growing in fens (Bog beans leaves look like bean leaves). Fens often have cottongrass growing on them but it is a sedge not a grass
Some sedges form their own habitat in shallow rich waters what is it called?
a sedge meadow. Sedge tussocks or hummocks (forms mounds, spots where birds will nest cause they are higher)
what types of marshes are present?
Cattail
Puddle ducks (dabblers)
filter water through lamilae. Great Diversity of water fowls , really important site for nesting ducks rich in filter feeding ducks (Wood ducks, They survey the ducks here (money from the national hunting institute). Hooded mergansers are here, other diving ducks as well
Marsh birds
Virgina rail- compressed laterally (skinny/thin bodies) and long toes for walking through cattails American coot (rail)- divers, half cattail/half water so they throw their bodies up in the air to dive. They have very unusual feet, lobes of skin/tissue. When the foot pulls forward the lobes close up, and when they pull back they open up/spread out. Pied billed Grebe, lobed toes
What other wild life is present in the clay belt?
Skimmers are common in the claybelt, Lots of toads, Mink frogs, Aquatic snails , Moose and beavers (little more common here because the land is richer), Wild iris’, Mosquitoes in still water
The clay belt supports many plants and animals that like basic pH soil like?
Birds eye primrose (northern) wood lily (southern)
What is a cedar swamp?
more decomposition so it does not form a peatland, all the cedars growing in this habitat form a swamp
What kind of orchid grows in cedar bogs?
Showy Lady’s slipper grow in calcareous wetlands like cedar bogs. They reach their northern limits in the clay belt boreal
What direction do waters in the clay belt flow?
There are many rivers in the clay belt, Waters in the clay belt flow to the arctic (north=arctic watershed)
