Introduction to forest ecology Flashcards
what is the ecosystem concept
integration between living organisms and their physical environment
what is an ecological system
the total assemblage of living organisms together with their non living environment in a particular area
what is the physical environment
Climate, soil water rock sunlight, etc
effects everything such as tree growth, species distribution, insects, diseases, etc.
what are the main and the not so big drivers for the physical environment
Big drivers are climate topography soil type land use change
Not so big drives are microclimate, silviculture, fertilization
what are the 5 major attributes of forest ecosystems
- Structure (vertical and horizontal)
- Function: natural biomass factories an others
- Complexity
- Interacting or inter-dependency
- Temporal change: succession
what are examples of structures on forest ecosystems
Vertical and horizontal
Vertical structures are multiple layers such as the number of trees layers
Horizontal structures are stand density and crown cover across landscape
Spatial heterogeneity
Uneven distribution or concentrations of species in an area
Edge effect
Changes in populations or structures at a boundary of two or more habitats
E.g., River and land beside it have different organisms
Landscape patterns
Arrangement or structure in a forest
Wildlife trees and snags
Snags are dead or dying trees could be from disease, old age, animals, etc.
what are processes and functions in forest ecosystems
- Nutrient cycling
- Water cycling
- Energy capture and tropics
- Disturbance and succession
- Others
what is ecological succession
the gradual change in both living communities and the physical environment over time.
what are the stages of ecological succession
starting with the pioneer stage and leading to the stable climax communities.
The main distinction between these stages is their ability to tolerate shade, termed “shade tolerance”
what are driving forces behind succession
- changes caused by plants
- changes caused by animals or disease
- succession related to fire, wind, or other non
living environmental factors - changes by harvesting or other land uses
- ex. In the BC coastal environment: herb-
shrubs-deciduous trees- conifer - ex. In the BC interior: deciduous trees- conifer
what are the 3 types of nutrient cycling
o Geochemical cycles: exchanges of chemicals between ecosystems
o Biogeochemical cycles: exchanges of chemicals within ecosystem
o Biochemical or Internal cycles: redistribution of chemicals within individual organisms
what are the 3 components of biodiversity
- Genetic diversity within a species
- Species diversity (alpha diversity)
- Ecosystem diversity (beta diversity)
what are the values of biodiversity
Intrinsic value: something that has value in and on itself
Utilitarian value: the value something has as a means to another’s end
o Goods
o Services
o Information
what is landscape ecology
how things are arranged in space.
It looks at the patterns and changes in the variety of spaces, their interactions over time, and the impact of these patterns on living and non-living processes.
The goal is to understand and manage these spatial arrangements
Emphasizes broad spatial scales and the ecological; effects of the spatial patterning of ecosystem
what are key questions about landscape ecology
Ecological flows in landscape mosaics
Causes, processes, and consequences of land use and land cover change
Nonlinear dynamics and landscape complexity
Scaling
Methodological advances
Relating landscape metrics to ecological processes
Integrating humans and their activities into landscape ecology
Optimization of landscape pattern
Landscape conservation and sustainability
Data acquisition and accuracy assessment
