Intro

Question 0

What is the UN-FAO definition of a forest?

Answer 0

Area>0.5 ha
Tree canopy cover >10%
Not agriculture
Capable of 5m height

Question 1

What are 5 attributes of a forest ecosystem?

Answer 1

Structure
Interaction 
Function 
Change over time 
Complexity

Question 2

What is forestry?

Answer 2

The science, art and practice of sustainability managing the composition, structure and function of forest ecosystems for many different values.

Question 3

What is synecology?

Answer 3

Study of ecological communities

Question 4

What is autecology?

Answer 4

Study of individual organisms or species.

Question 5

Define silvics

Answer 5

The study of the life history, characteristics and ecology of forest trees

Question 6

What is silviculture?

Answer 6

Branch of forestry concerned with managing and tending a forest.

Question 7

What are the main components of an ecosystem?

Answer 7

Biotic community
-Plant
-Animal 
-Microbial
Abiotic environment
-Atmosphere
-Soil or geological substrate

Question 8

What does climate determine?

Answer 8

The broad biotic potential. Whether the area will be a
-desert
-tundra
-boreal
-temperate
-tropical
What kind of organisms can live in this environment

Question 9

-What does the physical environment include?

Answer 9

• landform
• origin of materials
• minerology

(suitability of substrate, availability of moisture and nutrients.)

Question 10

What is the difference between population and community?

Answer 10

Population: All individuals of a species that constitute a specific group.

Community: An assemblage of different species that occur together in a particular habitat.

Question 11

What is a species?

Answer 11

Related organisms, capable of interbreeding.

Question 12

What makes up the vertical structure of a forest?

Answer 12

Tree
Shrub
Herb
Bryophytes 
Epiphytes

Question 13

What does horizontal structure refer to?

Answer 13

Gaps
Natural Openings
Regenerating Forest

Question 14

What are some important ecosystem cycles?

Answer 14

Hydrologic Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Nutrient Cycle
Photosynthesis
Carbon Cycle

Question 15

Why are primary producers so important?

Answer 15

Because they are the at the bottom of the food chain and provide the energy necessary to sustain all trophic levels.

Question 16

What are the levels of the food chain?

Answer 16

Primary Producers: plants
Primary Consumers: Herbivores
Secondary Consumers: Predators
Tertiary Consumers: Predators

Question 17

What are two types of ecosystem variation?

Answer 17

Spatial: Space

Temporal: Time

Question 18

What are the 3 levels of BEC

Answer 18

Regional Scale: largely driven by climate

Local level: mostly based on soils

Chronological level: Temporal ( time based stages )

Question 19

What is primary production? Why is it so important?

Answer 19

Primary production is the conversion of solar energy to biomass. This is a primary function of plants and creates a fundamental source of energy for other organisms at higher trophic levels to exist.