The Algonquin Highlands (GL-SL) Flashcards
What lies on top of this dome?
Algonquin Provincial park (established in 1893), 3000 square ft, established in 1993
Did the elevation used to be higher or lower than it is today?
It used to be 20-30 kms higher than today’s elevations (ancient mountain range, worn down to its current height)
What do the algonquin highlands lie atop?
A batholith, which is a body of rock that formed underground and is more 100 square km’s
Who exploits pine cones?
Red winged crossbills and red squirrels
Which side of Algonq park is most popular for porcupines?
The eastern side, because there is better food supply there, and they do not like maple trees
What kind of birds build nests in poplars?
yellow bellied Sapsuckers
Which predator eats baby woodpeckers?
Black bears
Which fish are found here?
Trout, bass and wall eye pike
Which mammal is a shoreline hunter?
Mink
Which native fish is not found in western algonq waters?
Walleye pike
Which calcium loving flowers grow on the eastern side of Algonquin park?
Cardinal flower, purple fringed orchid
What is the Brent crater
Meteor crash site
What is the name of the calciphilic fern that grows in Algonq
Bulblet fern
What is the elevation on the west side of Algonquin?
Reaches 600m above sea level
Does the eastern side have higher or lower elevations than the west?
Lower, 200 m above sea level
Different rivers start in algonquin park- How does the dome effect them?
Some flow west, some flow north, some south and some east because of the dome
Why is the biodiversity so rich?
Blend of southern habitats (like hardwood forests) and mixed forests with coniferous trees, floating peatlands, lakes, creeks, rivers which creates a rich biodiversity. The elevation allows the northern plants and animals to survive.
Does the western or eastern side receive more precipitation?
The west side is higher and receives more precipitation
What type of forest dominates the west side?
Hardwood forest that blazes orange and red during the fall
What type of forest dominates the east side?
Pine forest that blazes green all year round
Why is there a difference from west to east?
The glacial history (glacial till). The Till retains moisture that maples and other hardwoods need (not as sopping wet as clay). The east side received great beds of sand and less moisture, which a pine forest can survive on.
Why did the glacial spillway pass through and leave outwash plants only on the east side of Algonquin?
Due to elevation on the west side
Maple dominated hardwood forests have several layers of life, what are they?
The canopy, the shrub layer, the forest floor and the ground level
What is the Barron Canyon
The only real cliff in ON. Part of the Petawawa system. Cliff rocks have started to break down, a talus slope is when rocks have broken off and fallen down the cliff. Lichens often colonize these rocks, ex sunburst lichens
What birds nest at Barron Canyon?
Barn swallows, eastern phoebes (use moss to nest) and peregrine falcons (only within the last three years)
Subarctic disjuncts
Subarctic crustaceans are found in Algonquin, they need shady and cold conditions. Glacial relicts
What is the oldest tree in North America that grows in Algonquin park?
Cedars. They are important food for white tailed deer, the deer especially like to eat white cedar. . They eat it in the winter by grazing and create a browse line (no cedar leaves around bottom of tree)
Why are maple keys important?
they are food, deer mouse, woodland jumping mouse (follow the cycles of maple keys) and eastern chipmunks benefit from them
What type of chipmunks are abundant?
Eastern chipmunks are abundant (follow the population of the maple keys and benefit from them)
How do wolves hunt?
At night, in packs. They are social animals that hunt cooperatively
What do wolves feed on?
Moose, deer and beavers
What trees do bears benefit from?
Bears can climb trees to get up to the top of canopy and break branches to eat beech nuts. Create bear nests on older beeches.
How long is wolves’ gestation period?
9 wks, they mate in late February
What is the name of wolves’ summer home?
Rendezvous site. There is always a parent within earshot to protect the pups. The sites change location depending on food supply
Are peatlands present?
Yes, because of the elevation and the algonquin dome
Peatland plants present here
Bunchberry, leatherleaf, labrador tea, carnivorous plants
Black backed woodpeckers
Reach their southern boundary here
Northern birds found in Algonquin Park
Boreal chickadee, gray jay
How do plants deal with the thick layer of dead leaves on the forest floor?
Animals that store seeds like chipmunks disperse seeds below the dead leaf layer
Seeds that land on old longs can germinate and plants grow out of it, called Nurse logs (yellow birch called pirched birch when it grows out of an old log
Where are they majority of the beavers?
on the eastern side of the park, because waters are richer here and allow beavers to create their habitats easily