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SC BIOL 420 - Temperate Deciduous Forest

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BIOL 420 1st Edition Lecture 20Biomes – Temperate Deciduous ForestText Reference: Chapter 32 Global EcologyTemperate Deciduous Forest- Geography and Location – north of the tropical rain forests and south of northern coniferous forests; Eastern US and Western Europe; South Carolina- Climate – moist hot, summers, cool to extremely cold winters; “temperate” climate compared to tropical rain forest. A lot of the trees are adapted to the trees, metabolically they drop their leaves and wait till spring for it to grow againDistinct seasons- Soil Quality – reasonably rich in nutrients and humus compared to tropical rain forest (cold season slows decomposition and recycling and allows litter to accumulate and collect it). It’s going to be better, tend to be higher in minerals- Precipitation and Water Availability – 75 to 250 cm per year; less than tropical rain forest but adequate; somewhat more concentrated during the summer months. Drop whenyou get more north, diversity is going to drop as well. Cool enough to get litter to build up on the floor. Water is not a limitation- Species Diversity (Richness) – lower than tropical rain forest; higher than northern coniferous forest- Characteristic Plants – deciduous trees mixed with pines; deciduous trees include oaks and hickories; maples, ash, black cherry, hackberry, elm, red bud, yellow poplar, sycamore; conifers include long needle, slash and short needle pines; red cedar and in swampy areas cypresses; “Spanish moss”- Variety of shrubs and perennial herbaceous flowering plants; typical animals include white tailed deer, fox, squirrels, bears in mountainous regions, variety of birds, amphibians and reptiles- Plant Adaptations – deciduous trees lose their leaves during winter (not energetically worthwhile), store sugar during the summer, then “sap rises” in springSpring ephemeral herbaceous plants – perennial herbaceous flowering plants, take advantage of the open canopy in early spring and warmer soil temperatures; bloom quickly and then die back when canopy closesVery few annual herbaceous annual plantsMost plants that ripen seeds in the spring are dispersed by ants; seeds that ripen in the fallare dispersed by birds coinciding with fall bird migrationTemperate Mixed and Coniferous Forest (Pine Mixed Hardwoods) – conifers tend to have an advantage and be found where there are poorly drained soils (cypresses and pinesin swamps); nutrient poor soils (white cedars in bogs) and sites with shallow soil (long needle pines in Sandhill areas). One advantage is that pines grow faster than hardwoods; pines can’t resist shading as well. Fire adaptations – Long needle pine (Pinuspalustris) – fire tolerant, as a seedling grows low to the ground with the needles circling the stem protecting it; then after several years the stem “bolts”; areas that are protected from fire, succession replaces long needle pines with broad leaf trees. The fire does not burn the apical meristem, it can with stand the fireadaption and boltIn general, small fires maintain pine-mixed hardwood forests by burning excess litter thatserves as fuel; preventing all fires allows litter to accumulate and fire can spread to the canopy destroying treesHickories: In terms of light pines (conifers) tend to grow fast but are not shade tolerant; broad leaf hardwoods grow more slowly but seedlings and saplings tend to be more shade tolerant- Field trip through a South Carolina temperate deciduous forest:Oak-hickory speciesHickory: single leaf, compound leaf, tall trees, members of the climax family, dominatedby oaks and hickory. Playing a very important role for animals such as squirrels and dears.White oak: loaves, simple leaf. Most acorns are a bit bitter and contain tannins. Several ways of processing it, the tannins would break down and cook it into a flower. The natural state, dears and animals are more likely to eat white oaks because it doesn’t have that many tannins.Post oak: 3 prone leaf to itSouthern Red Oak: southeastern forest, co Water oak: lobe shaped leaf, simple leaf Live oak: grows more in the coastal region up to the lower edge of the piedmont. It’s an oak but not prestigious, smaller leaf, little bit leathery due to its adaption to resist winter months. Beautiful trees with strange patterns, and start growing off the limbs that are touching the ground.(Not Oaks but deciduous):Red maple: sugar maple – maple syrup. Simple leaves with the 3 tips; red is a good common name for it – the petioles. American elm: sersadeted ends to it, unequal base to it. Kills European elmsPersimmon: common, edible, sourBlack cherry: widely distributed, popular with birds SycamoreYellow (tulip) poplarSweet gumDogwood- South Carolina sandhills and representative plantsTurkey oakLong needle pineBracken fern- South Carolina cypress swamps and representative treesBald cypressSwamp tupelo (Black gum)Spanish moss- South Carolina plants of interestPalmettoYellow jessamineSouthern magnoliaInsectivorous plants – ecology of cedar bogsVenus flytrapPitcher plantsHorticultural speciesAzaleasCrepe myrtleCamelliasInvasive speciesKudzu- Environmental Impact – temperate deciduous forests have been heavily populated by humans throughout the world; very little pristine temperate forest left; early many of the trees removed for


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