Species Diversity and Abundance of Ground Flora in Coppices of Different Ages
Introduction: Coppicing is the removal of the canopy layer - such as
hazel, ash and lime to nearly ground level. This provides timber but
also allows the trees to re-grow with many more shoots instead of just
the one trunk. This cycle takes about ten years which gives the ground
layer a chance to flourish.
Hypotheses:There will be less species diversity and abundance in the
old coppice.
Explanation:There are many reasons for my hypotheses which I will try
to scientifically prove. We have to consider all the different factors
involved in the species diversity and abundance especially the key
factor. The key factor is the amount of light. The ground flora is
obviously dependant upon light to photosynthesise. When the canopy
layer is cut back this allows more light to reach the ground level
increasing the abundance of the ground plants as they can
photosynthesise more. Also the acidity of the soil may be different
affecting the species diversity as some plants are better adapted for
acidic soil whilst others may be better suited for alkaline soil. I am
not sure how coppicing will or whether it will affect the acidity of
the soil so I will need to investigate this. Also the moisture content
of the soil will affect the species abundance as water will be a
limiting factor in the growth of plants. There will be higher moisture
content in the new coppice due to its exposure to the elements because
it has to canopy layer. This will mean that there will be higher
species abundance. The aspect will also play a part in the species
abundance and the species diversity. In Britain a southern aspect will
receive more light as it is facing the equator which is facing the
sun. This means that a southern aspect will have a higher abundance
because there is more light available. In a northern aspect there will
also be lower species diversity due to the fact that it will be mostly
Williams, A. B. (1936). The composition and dynamics of a beech-maple climax community. Ecological monographs, 6(3), 317-408.
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.
I am going to identify the plants in each area and count them. I will
Some sources of error in my experiment can be found mainly in my research of the tropical trees. In the tropical zone and temperate zone, most trees were too tall to reach and examine their leaves. Furthermore, it was hard to get the entire tree within our pictures. Therefore, this caused little information about the large trees in the tropical zone, giving our information less variation. This error was also implemented throughout all the zones. Another source of error was with the light shining upon the leaves. During our experimentation, there were moments in time where the sun was hidden and the sun was shining brightly. Therefore, possibly affecting the color of our leaf color. The sunlight may cause our leaf to look lighter than they possibly are. This could cause false information to compare the leaf colors for each biome.
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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How does the vegetation surface type affect the amount of runoff? Speculate why this happens.
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and phosphorus is created by precipitation. Tundra is separated into two types: arctic tundra and alpine tundra.
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Humans depend on plants in numerous ways. One reason we depend on plants is for consumption. Plants have the unique ability of producing their own food through a process called photosynthesis. In this process, plants are able to produce macromolecules such as carbohydrates that cannot be produced in animals or humans. In humans, the only to gain these macromolecules is to consume plant matter, or consume plant-eating animals (herbivores).
Biology is an amazing subject because it is the only thing that explains why and how things are supposed to function in life. This essay is going to identify the terrestrial and the aquatic ecosystem with details of the different organization. Also, it is going to explain the population and community. Lastly it is going to differentiate living from non-living by identifying and stating the characteristics of living.
what happens when one burns and cuts down old forests, one must still plant new
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