Mixedwood Plains Ecozone
Landforms
The Mixedwood Plains ecozone is composed of waterfalls, rivers, plains, and wetlands. The last continental ice sheet covering the ecozone melted 11 000 years ago, leaving thick clay deposits. Underneath, the ecozone is sedimentary rock, while up above, it is mostly plains and rolling hills with some notable features being Manitoulin Island, the Great Lakes, and the Niagara Escarpment. More than 6000 drumlins span the ecozone, as do bodies of freshwater. Approximately 42% of the total surface is made up of lakes and rivers, including four Great Lakes – Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario – as well as the St. Lawrence River.
Climate
Due to the moderating effect, this ecozone has long, mild summers (18 to 22°C) and cool, short winters (-3 to -12°C), with around 720 to 1000mm of precipitation, and 180 to 260 growing days annually. The Westerlies can also alter the weather quickly in this ecozone.
Soils
Podzol Soils, found in the north, are used for recreation and forestry, while Luvisol Soils located in the south are for agricultural use. These leached, wet-climate soils combined with a fairly mild climate are responsible for over 50% of Canada’s class 1 agricultural land, while 62% of the land is capable of classes 1, 2, and 3.
Vegetation
The ecozone's forests are composed of 12.8% mixedwood, 2.1% deciduous, and 0.2% coniferous trees. The forest cover spans from 3 to 16%, and 40% of Ontario's rare plants are exclusive to the Carolinian forests. The Wood Poppy, Small-whorled Pogonia, Prickly Pear Cactus, and Cucumber Tree are species listed as Endangered. Wild Raspberry, Black-eyed Susans, Clover, Goldenrod, and Trilliums are widespread in forest ecosystems. Thickets and abandoned fields are h...
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...l Shield Ecozone consist of, but are not restricted to Striped Skunk and Bowhead whale.
Human activities in both ecozones are similar yet different. The Mixedwood Plains Ecozone is the most densely populated ecozone in the country, with its major cities being Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Hamilton, Windsor and London. In 2004, the Mixedwood Plains had a population of 15.6 million, as well as a GDP of $325 billion. It’s most valuable industries are agriculture and food, service, tourism and recreation, as well as service and manufacturing. St. John’s, Chicoutimi, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, and Thompson are the major cities of the Boreal Shield Ecozone . The population totalled 2.8 million in 2004, and also had a GDP of 49 billion. Its most significant industries are hydro generation, forestry, fishery, mining, recreation, trapping, and tourism.
Poulson, T. L., & Platt, W. J. (1996). Replacement patterns of beech and sugar maple in Warren Woods, Michigan. Ecology, 1234-1253.
These are very difficult questions for me personally to answer because I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I have seen the beauty of the old growth forests first-hand.
The proposed territory of the South Okanagan- Similkameen National Park Reserve is located in the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys in southern British Columbia, currently comprised of five Provincial Protected Areas. These areas include the 4700 hectare Mt. Kobau Site situated on the height of land between the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys; the 1850 hectare Chopaka East Site situated on Black Mountain, between Richter Pass and the International Boundary; the 470 hectare Chopaka West Site situated between Richter Mountain and the International Boundary; the 2350 hectare Kilpoola Site situated north and south of Highway 3 including the southeast slopes of Mount Kobau, Blue Lake and Kruger Mountain to the International Boundary; and the 25889 hectare Snowy Protected Area situated between the Lower Similkameen Indian Reserve. These areas, with the exception of Snowy Protected Area, compose the South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area. Potential future additions of Crown and private lands would possibly see large tracts of land north and south of Mt. Kobau along with tracts north and east of the existing boundaries of Snowy Protected Area.
Cavendish, M. (2011). North American Wildlife. (p. 109). New York: Marshall Cavendish Reference. DOI: www.marshallcavendish.us
Chapter 2: Canada’s Physical Base emphasizes reasoning for which its physical geography attributes to its regional geography, along with the population distribution and developing core regions. This chapter outlines main geological structure, landforms, climate, and impact on human a...
The area has been turned into a wildlife preserve to help maintain those ecosystems. The
Now, sustainable development and quality of life are crucial to the well being of our nation. Thus, I have pondered many a year on this very important matter and have consulted a very knowing Canadian of my acquaintance at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The amount of natural resources in this country being usually reckoned infi...
Markovsky, Alexander. "Massive Cutbacks in Karelia's Nature." Taiga Rescue Network 2011-11-08. N.p., 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
The tundra artic plains completely covering most of the earth’s lands north of the coniferous forest belt. The tundra’s ecosystem is very sensitive. It doesn’t have a good ability to restore itself. Controlled by sedge, heath, willow, moss, and lichen. Plains that are pretty much alike, called alpine tundra, occur above the timberline in the high mountains of the world. Even the Antarctic area has a couple of its own arctic regions itself.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
some lower areas of the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and
The Hudson plains are in parts of Ontario and Manitoba. Their area is about 350 000 km squared. The west edge of the Hudson Plains is around Churchill in north Manitoba, the eastern edge is around Fort Rupert, the northern edge borders Hudson Bay and James Bay and the southern edge is near Kapuskasing, Manitoba. Moosonee and Churchill are major cities in the Hudson Plains area, and lesser known cities include Attawapiskat, Fort George, Eastmain, Fort Albany, Lake River, Winisk, Fort Severn, and Shamattawa.
[1] “Mixedwood Plains.” Canadian Ecozones. Toronto: n.p., n.d. N. pag. TDSB Online Library School Sites. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
The biome I have chosen is the temperate rain forest. These types of forest are homes to a few and very amazing species . The temperate rain forest are mainly made of conifer trees. They also receive high rainfall every year. The average amount of rainfall it gets is 140 centimeters, or 55 inches a year. That is a total amount of 4.58333… feet in year-round rainfall.
Nigh, Gordon D., Ying, Cheng C. & Qian, Hong. (2004, October). Climate and Productivity of Major Conifer Species in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Forest Science 50(5), 659.