A great deal of plant traits are influenced by climate (Royer et al., 2008). The sizes and shapes of leaves correspond greatly with temperature and moisture on local and global levels (Peppe et al., 2011). The correlation between leaf size and shape is useful in estimating the paleoclimate from fossils of flora (Huff et al. 2003). The most common method to estimate paleoclimate is leaf-margin analysis. Leaf-climate correlations are used in order to reconstruct past climates. Smith and Bailey (1915) were the first to record the correlation between leaf physiognomy and climate and since then the morphology of leaves has been used in order to estimate precipitation and temperature (Wiemann et al., 1998). Leaf physiognomy can be used for ecological studies as the …show more content…
In order to prevent this herbivory tropical forest leaves are generally tougher, have a lower nutritional quality and have diverse range of secondary metabolites. Some of these secondary metabolites are similar to ones found in the leaves of temperate forest species, however species in a tropical forest have a more diverse range of these secondary metabolites than species growing in a temperate forest. Tropical forest species have higher levels of defense in their leaves than in the leaves of temperate forest species this is due to the fact that tropical forest species have a greater risk of damage being done to the leaves than temperate species, therefore to prevent this they have a greater diversity of defenses than temperate forest species. Despite the numerous defenses tropical forests have to deter herbivory the insects do more damage to species in the tropical forests than they do in temperate
Depending on the biomes, rainfall and soil can vary. However, the rainfall is typically ranges from 30 cm to 200 cm. In mountainous regions and forest biomes, there would be plenty of rainfall. While in the grasslands, there’s little rainfall. In the temperate zone, there are two main types of trees, coniferous and deciduous. The deciduous trees, in the South, drop their leaves in the winter. Generally, the trees are usually small in height unless in the forest areas. The forests tend to have wide leaves and tall, large trees. The soil in deciduous forests is found to be very fertile. The different amount of rainfall in the forest areas and the grasslands cause the difference between the trees and plant height. The rainfall in forest regions can lead them to be very common with the rainforests. Furthermore, the changes and variation of weather could be the reason as to why the forests shed or don’t shed their leaves. The leaves show a correlation between the fair amount of sunlight during the summer causing the leaves
How does the vegetation surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this happens.
The Taiga Biome is a large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major part of both Siberia and North America. It is usually found at high elevations at more temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the largest terrestrial biome on earth, covering around 50 million acres of land (NP, UC Santa Barbara). It is known for its subarctic climate that ranges between -51 to -1 °C in the winter and -21 to 7 °C in the summer. The two main season found in the taiga are summer and winter as autumn and spring are usually very short and barely noticeable. Winter makes up around six months of the year, with only around 50-100 frost-free days during the summer. Summer is also the season during which the taiga receives the most precipitation in form of rain. The remainder is made up of snow and dew, which adds up to around 30-85cm of precipitation yearly (NP, S.L. Woodward).
2008). In this experiment, two deciduous tree species, speckled alder (Alnus incana ssp. rugosa) and white birch (Betula papyrifera), dominant in the lowland and highland ecosystems respectively, will be compared and contrasted in terms of their decomposition rate, leaf senescence, leaf herbivory, arthropod presence, soil characteristics, and microclimate. In other words, how do the abiotic and biotic interactions of an ecosystem influence the decomposition rate of leaf litter in said ecosystem, and how does it compare to another, different ecosystem over the course of early to later fall? This question is of importance as it has ramifications for the functioning and interconnectedness of ecosystems around the world (Smith and Smith 2015). To investigate this phenomenon in action, the leaves from both tree species will be will be placed in their native habitat ecosystems as well as in the respective other to determine their decomposition rate and the degree to which the surrounding environment influences said decomposition. The highland ecosystem is noticeably more dry and rocky, with lower plant density and uneven topography than the lowland site – which is considerably more moist, muddy (i.e. wetland) and has a greater plant density than the highland. In leaf herbivory, the leaf damage caused by insect guilds is investigated to observe differences and changes between the two tree species over a period of time. Leaf senescence, the purposeful re-allocation of foliage nutrients to the plant body in preparation for winter, is studied in respect to the changing in the colour and appearance of leaves over the course of the experiment (Smith and Smith 2015). In addition, arthropod pitfall traps are used to characterize and compare the different species of arthropods and other organisms present within each
Discerning the spatial patterns of biodiversity and understanding their ultimate (why) and proximate (how) causes is very dear to biogeography and is one of the key concepts of Macro ecology. Some places on earth contain more species as compared to others. All species occurring at a given space and time either originated (speciated) there or dispersed and arrived from another place and settled there. Biogeographers try to understand the past and current distributions of species by incorporating historical, evolutionary and ecological factors. Earlier biogeographers or the ‘naturalists’ in their sacred quest to serve ‘the creator’, travelled to various parts of the world and imparted valuable knowledge about the diverse patterns and processes of nature. Linnaeus (1743), on the one hand, hypothesized that early Earth was filled with water except for it’s highest mountain top i.e., Mount Ararat which was known to be the site of paradise and as the sea level dropped the exposed land was colonized by plants and animals that migrated down from high elevational zones of Mount Ararat whereas Willdenow (1805) hypothesized that within each geographical region of the earth, plants and animals were first placed and later survived the great flood on many mountain ranges (Lomolino,2001). Von Humboldt and Darwin in the South American Andes and Wallace Southeast Asian islands noticed the decreasing trend in elevational species richness patterns (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). Later work done by Grinnell (1917), Whittaker (1952), Terborgh (1977, 1985) on elevational species richness became accepted and set a established pattern for all species for more than two decades (McCain and Grytnes, 2010). However current researches on elevational gradients are...
The biodiversity of this particular biome is vast and rapidly growing. One of the main reasons that there are so many species and animals living within this biome is due to the constant warm weather. It also supplies an almost 100% chance of water and food for the animals within. Small animals, including monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs and lizards are most common in tropical rainforests. Most of these animals and some insects rema...
Climate change has been happening for many years and it continues to do so. It is a significant change in regards to the distribution of weather patterns over a given time frame such as decades or millennia. In recent times, the climate change is called “global warming” and it has been linked to certain human activities (NRC 2010). This shows that climate change is not limited to biotic factors. In a general sense, these changes have the potential to impact populations and ecosystems due to alterations in the water cycle. Climate change impacts includes too little water in some regions while too much water in other regions. Changes in precipitation patterns can influence plant physiology and thereby affect the rates of photosynthesis. Such patterns include drought in which warmer temperatures increase evaporative stress on a plant and increased rain or frequency of storms can influence water uptake by plants. Under both conditions, there is a change in photosynthetic rates. Photosynthesis allows the plant to accumulate carbon, grow and produce biomass (Niu et al. 2008). Therefore, a change in photosynthetic rates can be either beneficial or harmful to a plant. The effects of altered precipitation patterns on photosynthetic rates is significant to the scientific field because it gives insight on the shifts in plant community composition and how it affects the water availability for human and ecosystem uses (Kray et al. 2012). In addition, understanding the connection between water relations and photosynthesis with respect to changes in precipitation patterns could help with management decisions of ecosystems, where climate change indicates alterations in species composition, in water availability for wildlife and in fire regimes (L...
According to Kivner, “warm, wet summers coincided with prosperity, while political turmoil occurred during times of climate instability.” Keeping this in mind, the study of tree growth rings has been linked to points in time where climate change has impacted the environment. Archaeologists have discovered a method of measurement among oak ring width. These methods have been used for dating artifacts, historical buildings, antique art and furniture. These patterns represent patterns of precipitation and of drought. From the studies done, researchers have concluded that during good seasons of growth, the rings tended to be broad. However, in poor growing conditions, the rings were consistently tighter. After researchers developed a chronology dating back to 2,500 years, scientists were able to link the affluence of past civilizations. This data has also been connected to the demise of many civilizations such as: the Argaric culture, and the Roman Empire. For example, during times of warm, wet summers during the Roman Empire,...
Plant defences are those mechanisms employed by plants in response to herbivory and parasitism. According to Hanley et al. (2007), “the tissues of virtually all terrestrial, freshwater, and marine plants have qualities that to some degree reduce herbivory, including low nitrogen concentration, low moisture content, toxins or digestibility-reducing compounds”. The type of chemical defence may be species specific (Scott 2008). The defences that plants possess may be in the form of chemical production or in the form of physical defences such as thorns or spikes and even through reinforced, rigid leaves. “The compounds that are produced in response to herbivory can either have a direct effect on the attacker itself (e.g. toxins or digestibility reducers), or serve as indirect defenses by attracting the natural enemies of the herbivores” (Bezemer & van Dam 2005). This essay will focus on chemical plant defences and in particular the effects of terpenes, phenolics, nitrogen-based defences as well as allelopathy in plants.
The plants that we know today as terrestrial organisms were not always on land. The land plants of today can be linked back to aquatic organisms that existed millions of years ago. In fact, early fossil evidence shows that the earliest land plants could have arisen some 450 million years ago (Weng & Chappie 2010). Plants that used to reside strictly in water were able to adapt in ways that allowed them to move onto land. It is speculated the need for plants to move onto land was created by water drying up, causing plants to have less room and pushing them to move onto land. Although the exact cause of plant’s need to move to a terrestrial environment is unclear, it is known that plants had to undergo several adaptations to be able to live on land. These adaptations include: lignin, cellulose, suberin, and changes to plant’s surface, including the formation of a waxy cuticle.
Zhang, S., Zhang, Y. and K. Ma. 2012. Disruption of ant-aphid mutualism in canopy enhances the abundance of beetles on the forest floor. PLoS ONE 7(4):1-5.
In the lab exercise regarding plant structure and function, we examined slides containing the different kinds of roots (monocot, dicot). We labeled the parts and pointed out the different roles of each in the plant structure. Also, we examined monocot stems and dicot stems in order to familiarize ourselves with its external and internal structures. We sketched and labeled the parts of the stem and looked closely at the positions of each part. In the last part of the lab, we classified leaves into different kinds according to their leaf venation, bases of leaves, and apices of leaves. As an additional exercise, we sketched 20 animals and classified them according to phylum and class. We were also able to discover the scientific and common names of the animals. Overall, the exercises we did enabled us to familiarize ourselves with plant structure thus, gaining a better understanding for plant life and its importance.
of the stalk where it is attacked to the tree to the tip. I measured
Restate thesis: In reality forests are better left alone, forests provide the earth with a regulated climate, strong biodiversity, and good nutrient rich soil for plants to strive on.