ecosystems, climate and environmental change Flashcards
When did the Devensian cold period range from?
115,000-10,000 BP
What are the 5 main stages of the Devensian? (in order and times)
Chelford interstadial (60,000 bp), Upton warren interstadial complex (42,000-38,000 bp) ,Dimlington stadial (21,000 bp), windmere interstadial (13,000bp), lochlomand stadial
What is the difference between interstadials and stadials?
interstdials are embedded periods of warm conditions whereas stadials are cold
Within the devensian what was the temp and landscape?
10c and arctic
Chelford interstadial:
a) 3 types of tree
b) feb and july temp
c) animal species
a) birch, pine, spruce
b) feb: -10c, july: 16c
c) brown bear, fox, red deer, reindeer, wooly rhino, elk
Upton-warren interstadial complex:
a) jan and july temp
b) 2 types of flora
c) vertebrate fauna
d) trees?
a) jan: -15c, july: 16c
b) arctic alphines, thermophillous species
c) mammoth, bison, wooly rhino, horse, reindeer
d) no trees
Dimlington stadial:
a) what happened to the ice?
b) how was it thought some herbivores were eradicated?
a) max. expansion of ice south of uk forming an extensive ice sheet (polar desert/tundra)
b) by paleolithic hunters but more likely due to environment
windmere interstadial:
a) it is a period of what?
b) july temp
c) expansion of what?
d) trees?
a) rapid climatic warming
b) 17-18c
c) park tundra vegetation expansion- productive vegetation
d) continuous woodland
lochlomand stadial:
a) july temp
b) why may there have been a return to cold climate before a temp rise again?
c) which trees survived?
a) 10-12c
b) disruption of the gulf stream- usually warms uk oceans but freshwater input from melting ice and glaciers can disrupt it
c) birches and pines
How long ago was the post glacial period?
10,000 years ago
What did axel blytt and rolf sernander propose?
subdivisions of post glacial period based on stratigraphy of peat
Fill in landscape type, time and zone:
Pre boreal-\_\_\_-\_\_\_-\_\_\_ Boreal-\_\_\_-\_\_\_-\_\_\_ Atlantic-\_\_\_-\_\_\_-\_\_\_ Sub boreal-\_\_\_-\_\_\_-\_\_\_ Sub atlantic-\_\_\_-\_\_\_-\_\_\_
subarctic- 9500bc- IV warmer and dry- 7600bc- V, VI warm, wet, oceanic- 5500bc- VIIa warm, dry, continental- 3000bc- VIIb cool, wet, oceanic- 500bc- VIII
What is goodwin zonation?
climatic locations- pollen diagrams proposed by Hockhammere
goodwin applied vompost’s principles to UK
Give examples of zone:
a) I
b) II
c) III
a) pre windmere
b) windmere interstadial
c) lochlomand stadial
what species present in zone IV and what is it called?
post glacial birch zone
- birch dominant
- willows, juniper
- some pine in south
what species present in zone V, what is it called and what type of climate?
hazel pine birch period - birch (nw) - pine in south -pollen evidence for thermophillous trees boreal climate
what species present in zone VI, what is it called and what type of climate?
hazel pine period - pine - hazel - thermophillous trees - elm - oak - lime - alder Boreal, dry conditions
what species present in zone VII, what is it called and what kind of conditions?
alder/ mixed oak “forest maximum” or “climatic equilibrium”
- alder
- oak (n + c +e)
- lime
- hazel (ireland)
- ash
- less elm, birch and pine
- warm, wet, oceanic, atlantic, most uk forest
- 2.5c higher than today
what species present in zone VIII, what is it called and what conditions?
alder birch oak beech period
- lime declines
- beech and hornbeam
cooler and wetter
How much of the UK is woodland and what are the 3 main types of natural woodland?
12%
native, ancient, recent
3 facts about native woodland
- 40% Uk woodlands are native (broad leaved deciduous)
- have grown in UK since last ice age
- UK has 50 species of native trees and shrubs
When was ancient woodland wooded and what would woodland previously have been like?
1600 AD
before- natural and native
What is recent woodland and where is it found?
planted or established naturally
found on former farmland or heathland
what is primary woodland?
survived continually since ice age
what is secondary woodland?
planted/ established since last ice age
why do communities occur?
environmental factors and community processes
Give 4 examples of community processes
- competitive exclusion
- coexistence through tolerance
- coexistence through complementation
- dependene
what is community structure
the spatial organisation of plant material within a community includes:
- vertical structure (stratification)
- horizontal structure (pattern)
- species abundane
What are the 4 layers of vertical structure?
ground layer field layer (1-1.5m) shrub layer (1.5-5m) tree layer (5m+)
what are the 3 distribution types of horizontal structure?
regular (overdispersed)
random
clumped (underdispersed)
What is the pattern shown by a species a product of?
- morphology and growth characteristics
- seed dispersal mechanisms
- environmental heterogeneity
- species interactions
what is species abundance?
the amount a species contributes to the vegetation?
according to the national vegetation classification (NVC) how many woodland types and sub communities are there?
What doesn’t the classification take into account?
18 woodland types
73 sub communities
does not take into account non vascular plants
In detail, what 4 ways can we measure species abundance by?
- abundance guesstimates (DAFOR- dominant, abundant, frequent, occasional, rare)
- density- no. of individuals per unit area
- frequency- chance of finding a particular species in a sample of vegetation
- cover (measures as %, can be more than 100% as can be overlapping in dense vegetation
What are plants 2 main approaches to forest floor survival?
- shade tolerance
- complementation (growing when light intensity is relatively high)
a) 6 traits of shade plants
b) do all shaded plants look the same?
c) D.flexuosa example
a)
- large thin leaves with single pallisade layer
- large SA:weight ratio
- can lower co2 compensation point
- maintained at high and low freq
- respire slower
- slower growth
b) no, don’t all have leaves with morphological attributes
c) - narrow, bristle like leaves (grass)
- tolerates temporary shade as are evergreen
What plants do the complementation approach and what is an example?
woodland floor plants- grow before main development of tree canopy
eg: wood anemone
what is phenology?
study of sesonal periodicity and timing of plant
when do each of these species grow?
a) vernal
b) aestival
c) autumnal
d) hiemal
a) spring
b) summer
c) autum/ winter
d) winter
why may Q.petraea (sessile oak) not be regenerating or producing saplings?
acorns may not be viable
unsuitable germination areas
explain C.cymerau N.wales regeneration example
- upland woodland with little vegetation
- cages round trees to stop mammal interference
- acorns buried in soil
- many acorns produced with high viability
- 99% wastage of fallen acorns (rodent predation)
- but enough acorns to ensure regeneration
- ground layer d.flexuosa grazex (intercallary meristem provides tolerance)
- ground layer important for acorn germination and hiding them from rodents (not good if grazed)
what are the 2 main forest soil types?
brown forest soil and podzol soil
what is brown forest soil and whats the average ph of this soil?
an active mixing of mineral and organic matter by organisms
no sharp boundaries between horizons
ph 5-7
what is podzol soil and what is the ph?
- no/little mixing by organisms
- sharp boundaries between horizons due to eluviation of surface horizons
- surface accumulation of organic matter
- bleached mineral horizon
- rusty coloured layer
- ph<5.5 (acidic)
- cool, wet climates
- minerals dissolved in rain brought through soil and deposited in layers
- nutrients and bases leached from upper horizons
- litter then peat then iron pan layer and hummus (no iron deposition in humus layer)
- iron pans can increase water logging
what is a heliophile?
sun loving species
in the devensian period what did the grassland environment do to heliophiles?
the development of post glacial forests confined heliophiles to naturally open habitats
what did vompost look at?
pollen in bogs from this he could tell what plant species were there and where they came from
describe what the elm decline was and when
neolithic farming in britain in new stone age
on the pollen spectrum there was a clear decline in elm pollen
unclear as to why (disease, selective cropping, tree pollarding)
1st wave- early 1900s
2nd wave- 1970 (main wave)
a) what caused the landnam clearances and where?
b) from the pollen what can we tell?
c) when did these clearances occur in britain?
a) neolithic farmers did small temporary forest clearances in denmark mainly because the brown soil underneath trees was very fertile
b) -decline of trees
- increase in grasses
- increase in grassland herbs
c) 3500bc
when did episodes of extensive and permanent deforestation occur in britain and in which areas?
after the elm decline
breckland, wiltshire, dartmoor, sw cumbria
when did the bronze age clearances occur?
2100-700bc
when were the iron age clearances, where and what was the result?
500bc sub-boreal/sub-atlantic boundary climatic deterioration increase in precipitation increased deforestation (continued bronze age clearances)
what equipment was used in norman conquest in 1066 for soil clearance?
8-ox plough
by 100bc what % of forests were left in britain?
20%
how are grasslands mainly managed?
grazing and mowing
what is defoliation?
removal of part or all of the shoot
what does the apical meristem give rise to?
primary plant body
in detail what are the 4 adaptations of grassland plants?
- intercalary meristem (meristem developing between mature tissue- eg. graminoid species)
- adpressed growth (flat to earth- hard to graze/mow- some forb species- negatively phototropic rosettes so not easily grazed)
- low palatability (c based spines- low cost, woody tissues, distastefulness, chemical toxins)
- ephemeral life history (not around for long- can explot bare earth quickly and grow during periods of limited grazing)
where are nodes and internodes found and what do nodes enable?
nodes is the region of leaf attachment
internodes is the region between nodes
nodes enable plant to still grow up even if upper part of plant is lost
what kind of soil do calcicole species grow, and example
calcareous soil- S.columbria
what kind of soil do calcifuge species grow, and example
acidic soil- N.stricta
is species diversity higher in the north or south and why?
south as more limestone grasslands grow here which are species rich
what is the effect of ph on plants mainly mediated by?
by its influence on the availability of other ions
what are the 3 main macronutrients in plants and where are they generally found?
N,P,K they are found in more neutral soil ph (7-8.5) where limestone grasslands are
as soil ph increases what generally happens to bioavailability of nutrients?
increases
where are heavy metals more available?
acidic soil
what is the characteristic soil of limestone grassland?
rendzina
a) what kind of soil is rendzina where is it, what ph?
b) what is the thin-ness of the soil due to?
c) what is in the A horizon
d) what is the C horizon?
e) P concentration?
a) immature, low fertile soil on carbonate with ph >7
b) due to the purity of bedrock as pure limestone provides little insoluble residue and no deep soil profile
c) a thin shallow layer thats stable and crumb like (black/grey/grey brown
d) limestone- usually pure like chalk
e) low conc of available P
at the plateau of a landscape what is the soil like there?
podsol soil ph <5 low fertility <10 sppm2 most of habitat gone due to liming and fertilisation not eroded quickly D.Flexuosa
at the slope of a landscape what is the soil type?
rendzina soil ph>7 >20 sppm2 many calcicoles F.Ovina
at the valley bottom of a landscape what is the soil like?
brown earth/ alluvium soil ph 5.5-7.5 high fertility 5-15 sppm2 A.Elatius
a) what is calcareous grasslands nutrient status like?
a) low nutrient status and so high alpha diversity
a) on grimes humpback curve between crop mass 300-900 gm-2 what is there?
b) what does ph help with and what does a low ph result in?
a) a corridor of high potential species richness (max) and here species rich and species poor vegetation can occur
b) helps account for variation in richness within the corridor and low ph results in species poor environment
what is the reservoir effect?
fewer species are adapted to grow on acidic soils than calcareous soils
what is heathland?
physiognomically distinct type of vegetation dominated by ericoid dwarf shrubs
what are the 3 main heather types seen in british heathlands?
Calluna Vulgaris
Erica cinerea- bell heather
Erica tetralix- cross leaved heather
what is the species diversity and conservation generally like on heathlands?
poor floristic diversity
low nutrient status plants
stress tolerators on acidic soil
vegetation mainly restricted to UK so high conservation status
what 2 uncommon animal species may be found on UK heathlands?
Dartford warbler (S.undata) smooth snake
Give 6 key facts of upland heaths
- 300-400m above sea level
- up to montane zone (treeline)
- 2-3 million hectacres UK
- 75% worlds total UK
- often called moorland
- more upland heaths than lowland
Give 3 key facts of lowland heaths
- 58,000 ha in UK
- 20% worlds total
- altitudes <300m
what % of UK total land area is covered by heathland?
6%
iron pans in podzol soil causes waterlogging, what does this result in?
can stimulate peat formation producing peaty podsols and true peat
what is the largest C reserve in UK and how much carbon is here/
peatlands
3 billion tonnes C (equal to 20yrs co2 emissions and britain’s and france’s forests combined)
what conditions are needed for peat formation?
anaerobic
when did heathland originate and what did the people do?
in/after bronze age and the people cleared forests for vegetation
what did dimbleby notice about bronze age barrows in 1962?
that there was fertile, nutrient rich brown earth soil under the barrows (burial chambers in rituals) in N. yorkshire
what may podzolization have occurred in response to?
forest clearance and cultivation
what may cause variation in the timing of heather dominance?
grazing can suppress heather
when was heather dominant in moors west of sheffield?
400AD
when was the most recent extreme heather dominance?
post 1800
why is moorland managed?
for red grouse shooting which is worth £100 million per year to uk economy
a) what is the subspecies of red grouse (lagopus scoticus scoticus)
b) where is it endemic?
c) what is the food source?
a) endemic to UK
b) subspecies of willow grace
c) young heather shoots
how is the moorland managed for red grouse?
rotational burning on an 8-15 year cycle
- maximises amount of edible biomass
- provides patches of more mature heather for nesting
- stops heather from ageing so its canopy opens
where are nutrients lost from meaning that moorland soil is nutrient poor and how may the loss be balanced?
lost via ash (leaching)- but my be retained in litter and upper soil
also lost in smoke- N (needed for plant productivity)
may be balanced by rainfall input but often not enough
which 3 nutrients are most at risk of being depleted by burning?
N (smoke) , P (leaching) , S (smoke) - critical as will limit growth
are afforestation schemes be remunerative and what trees are usually used?
yes are financially rewarding and most use exotic conifers ( sitka spruce) from western north america
what may be some issues with afforestation?
- loss of diversity/ distinctive species
- loss of visual appeal/ amenity value
what 2 factors need to be considered for afforestation and which plantation type is the most -ve
- age of plantation- older trees more visually pleasing
- conifer plantations species poor
evergreen plantations have a -ve side
explain the reforestation example in north yorkshire broxa forest
- possible to grow birch- good at improving soil nutrient status
- after 70 years trees small and contorted- no commercial value
- no greater biodiversity than if coniferous trees were planted on the same soil
explain the reforestation example for the tulchan forest on perthshire
- birch planting found to be successful
- led to increase in earthworm numbers
- was a gradual breakdown of old calluna mor hummus into mull like form (podzol -> brown forest)
- decrease in H
- increase in Ca and P
- increase in ph
what % of water can be in wetland soil?
95%
what 2 main categories are wetlands divided into?
- aquatic wetlands (shallow water)
- telmatic wetlands (wet terrestrial)
what are telmatic wetlands divided into?
- ephemeral seasonal wetlands such as marsh
- stable permanent wetlands such as swamps which are inundated for most of year and also into acidic bogs and base rich fens which are only inundated for part of the year
what is vegetative succession?
- gradual directional change in vegetation composition
- populations successively replace one another
- usually alongside environmental change
what are characteristics of marshes?
- transition between aquatic and terrestrial
- dominated by grasses, rushes, reeds and other herbaceous species
- nutrient rich stagnant/ slow moving water
- seasonally affected
what are characteristics of fens?
- surface and subsurface inflow and outflow
- tend to be alkaline
- can reflect chemistry of the geology
what are characteristics of bogs?
- water mainly from precipitation
- organic accumulations contribute to acidity
what is allogenic succession?
succession driven by environmental change
what is autogenic succession?
succession occurs when vegetation induces environmental change
what is primary succession?
autogenic succession that occurs on surfaces that have not previously supported vegetation (mosses)
where does secondary succession occur?
on surfaces previously supported by soil and vegetation
what is wetland succession also known as?
hydroseral
which 2 main processes does peat accumulate by?
- terrestrialisation
- paludification
describe the process of terrestrialisation and what the 2 main types known as
process by which bodies of open water become filled with mud and peat
- rooting terrestrialisation
- rafting terrestrialisation
describe rooting terrestrialisation
-water gradually shallows by accumulation of mud and peat which allows for progressive colonisation by species suited to shallow conditions
- includes infilling of water where mud is deposited in situ or in washed sediments
- includes swamps (immersive perennials can be established)
- includes fern
- includes fen woodland (dry and stable)
- dry deciduous woodland
includes raised bog
what is raised bog?
acidic ombrotrophic (nutrients from precipitation) peat accumulates above level of fen water bog moss sphagnum is a key peat forming species in bogs
describe rafting terrestrialisation
- in small sheltered basins similar to rooting
- open water directly overgrown by mat of peat
- reduced dependency of succession on shallowing
- swamp and fens develop by direct colonisation of water
- water fills up top downwards
what is paludification?
- where once dry land gets wetter, may be from impeded drainage from sea level rise or increased precipitation
- high moisture levels needed (200 precipitation days per year)
- blanket bog
how much of the UK is blanket bog?
1.5 hectares (15% of worlds total)
what causes the development of blanket bog?
- ombrogenous formation
- capacity to blanket terrain
- oceanic regions with wet and cool climates
- formation initiated by climate conditions
- can be found with neolithic artefacts
- some developed over cultivated land
- initiated by forest clearance
give 3 features of waterlogged environments
- saturated with water (may be in episodes)
- oxygen deficient (o2 diffusion is 2x slower in water than air and o2 has low solubility in water)
- redox related chemical changes (chemical species reduced are more toxic to plants which affects availability of o2, no3, mn, fe, s (mn and fe toxic)
what 3 conditions help to retard process of decomposition in waterlogged environment?
- anoxic environment
- abundance of toxins
- acidic conditions
what is one of the main reasons peat accumulates?
retarded decomposition
what are 2 waterlogging problems for plants?
- oxygen deficiency for underground organs
2. increased availability of soluble phytotoxins (mn, fe, s)
what are 3 adaptations of roots to o2 deficiency?
- anaerobic respiration in roots
- transport of o2 to roots
- release of o2 into rhizosphere
why may some wetland plants have greater capacity for anaerobic metabolism than dryland plants?
can accumulate malic acid which is less toxic than ethanol
what is the movement of o2 in wetland plants favoured by?
high tissue porosity