Forest Ecology Final Exam

Describe the four stages of forest stand development, what occurs in each stage

1. Stand Initiation: from new seeds, preexisting roots stock sprouts 2. Stem Exclusion: growing space occupied, competition occurs 3. Understory Reinitiation: overstory gaps created by disturbances, regeneration is recruited 4. Old Growth: late successional condition/complex

Dr. Kidd tallied two oak stems in a 1/2000th acre plot, how many stems per acre is this

4,000 stems per acre

Describe the n-dimensional hypervolume concept and how it relates to a species' niche

n-dimensional set of resources and environments that a species requires to persist. It relates to a species' niche in that it defines their fundamental niche and realized niche

What is the difference between a symbiotic and non-symbiotic mutualism

symbiotic is connected while non-symbiotic is not connected

What are the two main components of diversity, list two indices discussed in lab and your readings

area and number of species (?)

Define mean fire interval (or Fire Return Interval), how can this information be obtained for past decades

book?

List six examples of disturbances

book?

What is the general relationship between disturbance frequency and severity and between severity and recovery time

book?

Define realized niche

The niche that a species actually inhabits, taking into account interspecific competition

Define ecological disturbance

"Any relatively discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystem, community, or population structure, and and causes changes in resources, substrate availability, or physical environment"

List the four general fire survival strategies, describe one example of each

1. Avoid fire damage - bark, bud protection 2. Recover following fire damage - sprouting response 3. Colonize sites after fire - pioneer/early successional seeding characteristics 4. Promote or facilitate fire - flammable foliage and bark

What is the difference between a biome and a plant community

A biome is a group of communities while a plant community is a group of organisms living in the same place or having particular characteristics in common

Define allelopathy and provide two examples of species that utilize allelopathy

A direct or indirect chemical effect of one plant on the germination, growth, or development of neighboring plants; Black Walnut and Juglone, Sorghum and Sorgolene

Define community

A group of organisms living in the same place or having particular characteristics in common

Describe succession

A progressive alteration in the structure and species composition of the vegetation or the directional change with time of the species composition and vegetation physiognomy of a single site

What is a seral stage (sere)

An identifiable stage of succession; usually identified based on the dominant vegetation present

Describe how chronosequence can be used to study succession

As age of chronosequence increases, changes in stand structure, including distribution of trees, percent ground cover, and species abundance, are observed and forest succession can therefore be determined

Describe potential impacts of downstream sedimentation

Declined abundance, diversity, and productivity. Roads have the highest probability of producing sediment and erosion into soils and streams and can alter hillslope hydrology by "creating compact and less permeable surfaces, decreasing infiltration, and increasing drainage networks with road surfaces and ditches," thus causing more erosion and sedimentation

Define an ephemeral stream

Ephemeral streams have flow less than 30% of the year and may not have a well-defined channel

Explain Clements' Organismal Theory and how it relates to succession, particularly climax communities

Early concepts - "organism-like" properties; arises, grows, matures, reproduces, and dies as a unit. Uniform and rigid based on climatic region. It was later (FINISH)

List one example of both an early- and late-successional species

Early: Red Maple Late: Hemlock

List five ways an early-successional species differs from a late-successional species

Early: small seed size, dispersal via wind and animals, seed viability is long and latent in soil, growth rate is rapid, and shade tolerance is low Late: large seed size, dispersal via gravity and eaten by animals, seed viability is short, growth rate is slow, and shade tolerance is high

List six components/variables used to describe a fire regime. What information does each component provide

Extent (how bad), severity (effects), intensity (how fierce), type, frequency (how often), and timing (when)

What is the intent of forestry best management practices

Forestry Best Management Practices (BMPs) are specifically developed to address erosion associated with roads, skid trails, and stream crossings

Who coined the term "forest succession"

Henry David Throeau

Draw a graph illustrating the general trend of a species-area curve: area (x-axis) vs. number of species (y-axis); which type of function (linear, power, logistic) best fits this general trend

Power

What is a disturbance regime

If a disturbance occurs repeatedly and we gain an idea of outcomes (under certain conditions)

Describe Henry Gleason's contributions to today's understanding of community ecology

Individualistic concept - book?

Who introduced the term "succession" and in what year

John Adlum in 1806

What is the term for a tree deformed by wind, typically located along the tree line

Krummholz (book?)

List and describe five types of interactions that can occur among organisms

Mutualism, both organisms benefit Commensalism, one benefits, one neutral Parasitism/Predation, one benefits, one harmed Amensalism, one negatively affects others Neutralism, both neutral Competition, both are harmed but one will win

Do severity and intensity depict the same information, why or why not

No; severity looks at the severity of the damage and looks at what is left of the soil and vegetation while intensity is about how fierce the disturbance was overall

List the six general stages in the Clementsian succession order

Nundation, Migration, Ecesis, Competition, Reaction, and Stabilization

Describe the four ways that mutualisms are important to the life-cycle of woody plants

Nutritional - breakdown/cycling Protection - from enemies and extreme conditions Transport - dispersal (pollen, seeds, spores) Supply of energy - transfers (plants, animals)

How does primary succession differ from secondary succession

Primary succession occurs on previously unvegetated terrain or following catastrophic disturbances where all organic matter was removed or buried and is a very long term process. Secondary succession occurs in an area previously inhabited by vegetation and there are residual effects of organisms and organic matter from organisms present before the disturbance, has biological legacies

What is the difference between point source and non-point source pollution, which type of pollution are BMPs designed to address

Point source pollution (PSP) refers to chemicals and pollutants that are identified from a single source of pollution, such as a pipe or a ditch. Nonpoint source pollution (NPSP), however, is when pollutants are released in a wide area with no single identifiable source. BMPs are designed to address NPSP

Describe the major differences between relay and initial floristics composition models

Relay: one group of plant species modifies the physical environment such that it is favorable to a new group to colonize the area, pattern is "relay-like" Initial: all species are present in the beginning and will dominate at one point in time

What is a serotinous cone, provide two examples of species that have serotinous cones

Require heat to open and release seeds; Jack Pine, Lodgepole Pine

What scientist first used a gradient analysis to describe communities types based on differences in environmental variables and where was this research conducted

Robert Whittaker, 1953, Great Smoky Mountains

List three types of biological legacies. In which type of succession to biological legacies play an important role

Secondary succession; stumps, soil, seed bank

List the three types of niche components and describe one example of each

Spatial: location, where - silver maple in floodplains Temporal: over time, when - Virginia Pine, scrubby pioneer species vs eastern hemlock Functional: physiological adaptations, how - nitrogen fixers, black locust

Why are stream crossings a concern

Stream crossings are an important tool for allowing equipment to cross streams, drains, and drainage ditches, thereby reducing sedimentation and other negative impacts on these waterways. Examples of stream crossings include bridges, rock fords, and culverts

Define tolerance

The capacity of an organism to subsist under a given set of environmental conditions

Define niche

The ecological role of an organism

Define climax community, provide one example of a climax community type

The end point of succession, it is stable and resists major change; mature oak and hickory forest

What is the -3/2 law

The rate at which density-dependent mortality occurs

Define synecology

The study of the relations between groups of organisms or co-existing biological plant communities

What is meant by a "pioneer" species, provide four characteristics that prove advantageous to the function of a pioneer species

They can occupy open areas and often harsh conditions; they are often the first to come in or occupy a site following a disturbance. Light seeded, rapid germination, roots can penetrate deeply into the soil, and rapid growth with little to no competition

Define phsyiological amplitude. How does this range differ from a species' phsyiological optimum range

Tolerance range of the species and includes competing species, but the physiological optimum range refers to conditions for optimal growth and where competing species are excluded