RNG 351
Photosynthesis equation
6CO^2 + 6H2O ----> C^6H^12O^6 + 6O^2 Carbon Water Light Sugar Oxygen dioxide
Clay
<0.002mm
piedmont
is an area of active erosion
Biome
largest terrestrial ecosystem
climate
long term weather patterns of temperature and precipitation
aggregates
mass or cluster of soil particles such as a dirt clod.
weather
short term variation in temp and precipitation
Mollisols
soils of grasslands ecosystems
Florida
summer peak in precip, wet all year ( 45-70 inches)
Factors that affect soil structure
~Kind of clay • Amount of organic matter • Freezing and thawing • Wetting and drying • Action of burrowing organisms • Growth of root systems of plants
geology
bedrock and surficial geology of each MLRA is described
Rhizome
below ground modified stem (asexual repro)
threshold
boundary in space and time between two states
soil structure
combination or arrangement of soil particles
Ecosystem
community of organisms and abiotic environment
Africa
contains the most grasslands
Orographic effect
cooling and condensing= rising warming and expanding = falling
Grasslands
cover about 31 - 43% of the earth's land surface.
structure
determines actual infiltration rates
soil texture
determines potential infiltration rates
plains
dry winters, wet summers moderate total precipitation ( 12-30 inches)
Eastern
even distribution of precip high total precip ( 35-65 inches)
Hopkins bio climate law
every 1,000 feet increase in altitude will result in essentially the phonological changes that would occur by traveling 69 miles north.
physiography
fennemans physiographic section, province, and major division.
Cold temperatures, flooding, dryness
grasslands are created by....
A.W. Kuchler
had a private collection of 2,000 to 3,000 vegetation maps both domestic and international
$40 billion
annual value of livestock feed from grass
Ardisols
are desert soils that have a subsurface horizon
entisols
are soils of recent origin.
inceptisols
are soils that exhibit minimal horizon development
(Relatively) static properties
are used to define soil series (and therefore ecological sites)
Dynamic properties
are used to define the relative condition of the soil
Silt
0.002 - 0.02mm
Sand
0.02 - 2.0mm
Grass leaves
have two distinct parts blades and sheaths carbon is fixed in the leaves carbon is stored in the roots
Why did grasslands form in the Cenozoic era
A) cooling and drying B) Periodic drought C) Fires D) Grazing E) Plant evolution F) Animal evolution
Stolon
Above ground modified stem
ecological resilience
Amount of change required to transform a system from being maintained by one set of mutually reinforcing processes to a different set of processes.
Synecology
Branch of ecology dealing with the relations between natural communities and their environments
Autecology
Branch of ecology dealing with the study of the individual organism or species
Autogenic succession
Change in plant community composition that is caused by the community itself
retrogression
Changes away from the climax, may be caused by fire, overgrazing, drought, volcano, etc.
Hadley Cell effect
Creates bands of moist or dry zones around the globe. Atmospheric circulation patterns between the equator and 30° latitude.
Allogenic succession
Forces other than the community cause succession such as climatic change, grazing, fire, flood, farming, etc.
Big blue stem
Grows in large clumps 3 to 6 feet tall. Extremely leafy, leaves dark green with purplish colors as it matures. Highly productive can produce greater than 5,000.
gravels, cobbles, stones, boulders
Larger than 2.0 mm are.....
Ecological site information
NRCS, USDA plant database
primary succession
Natural plant succession on previously unvegetated areas leading to a clima
Factors of soil formation
S (soil properties) CL(regional climate) O(potential biota) R(topography) P(parent material) T(time)
Pioneer species
Starts with the arrival of living things such as lichens that do not need soil to survive
secondary succession
Succession on land which previously has been occupied by more highly developed vegetation destroyed by some unusual circumstances, such as fire
climate vegetation
The end point of succession, the vegetation that will maintain itself on a particular site
succession
The orderly change of plant communities over time.
Ecological site descriptions provide
a common framework for communication of resource info among disciplines agencies and organizations. Information describing the interactions among soils vegetation and land management. A foundation to asses the condition of current resources and mentors change. A framework to asses management opportunities and predict the outcome of management decisions. A framework for transferring experience and knowledge.
Ecological site
a distinctive kind of land based on recurring soil, landform, geological, and climate characteristics that differs from other kinds of land in its ability to produce distinctive kinds and amounts of vegetation and in its ability to respond similarly to management actions and natural disturbance
State
a recognizable, resistant and resilient complex of two ecosystem components, the soil base and the vegetation structure
4 to 20 years
accepted mean fire interval
Tall grass prairie
occurs in the eastern great plains of the US it is nearly all privately owned. Excellent farmland. Largest remaining blocks of rangelands are Flint Hills, Kansas Sand Hills, Nebraska Osage Hills, Oklahoma Only 5% of remaining of what originally existed
relative humidity
percent of the max quantity of moisture that the air can hold.
6CO^2 + 12 H20 = C^6 H^12 0^6 + 6H20
photosynthesis equation
Mycorrhiza
root system that expands exponentially
grass stems
round hollow, and swollen at the nodes
Geomorphology
science of landforms with an emphasis on their origin, evolution form, and distribution across the physical landscape.
Autotroph
self feeder
Precipitation
the most important single factor determining the type and productivity of vegetation in an area.
transition
the trajectory of a change
Sand (largest) Silt (medium) Clay (smallest)
three sizes of soil (textures)
C3, C4, CAM
three types whereby CO^2 is converted into organic compounds.
Australia and Mongolia
two countries more than one million acres of grasslands
Association
two or more soils that occur in a repetitive and predictable pattern.
Complex
two or more soils that usually do not occur in a predictable pattern at a map able scale
southwest
two peaks in precip one summer one winter (4-20 inches)
great basin
wet winter and spring dry summer low precip ( 4-16 inches)
Pacific
wet winters, dry summers, moderate to high precip ( 15-50 inches)
Decision support system
where I am and how to get where I want to be