Pine forests tend to have a closed canopy of one or more pine species and relatively little undergrowth. They benefit the most from well-drained sandy soils that are slightly acidic. Common among the pines in the SE United States are loblolly pine and slash pine. The tough pine needles that fall under the trees decompose very slowly and produce a thick mat, both of which contribute to the reduced understory vegetation. In much of our region, pine forests are an intermediate community and will eventually be supplanted by hardwood forests, though they can exist for up to 75 years in these areas. Hardwood forests, particularly oak-hickory forests, are the climax community throughout much of the SE United States. The trees of these forests form a closed canopy, and there is often one or two layers of understory trees, a shrub layer, and an herb layer. Most of the trees are deciduous, and their leaves decompose relatively fast, thus providing a high level of organic material especially close to the surface. Most foresters believe hardwoods grow best on soils that are slightly acidic to neutral. What is the independent variable of this exercise? What is the dependent variable of this exercise? • What are two of the control variables? • Which forest do you predict will have the greatest species diversity in its soil? What is the rationale of your decision? ● . Often overlooked in general discussions of terrestrial communities are the organisms that live below ground. Soil communities can include various microbes such as archaea, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa, as well as a variety of microinvertebrates including springtails, mites, nematodes, and earthworms. These organisms provide several ecological functions including decomposing organic matter, fixing atmospheric nitrogen, and enriching the physical and chemical conditions of soil. Lab Objectives: In this exercise you will survey the invertebrate organisms of soil from a pine forest and a hardwood forest and compare the species diversity of the two. These resident invertebrates have already been collected for you, and the instructor will explain the procedures used. ●

Pine forests tend to have a closed canopy of one or more pine species and relatively little undergrowth. They benefit the most from well-drained sandy soils that are slightly acidic. Common among the pines in the SE United States are loblolly pine and slash pine. The tough pine needles that fall under the trees decompose very slowly and produce a thick mat, both of which contribute to the reduced understory vegetation. In much of our region, pine forests are an intermediate community and will eventually be supplanted by hardwood forests, though they can exist for up to 75 years in these areas. Hardwood forests, particularly oak-hickory forests, are the climax community throughout much of the SE United States. The trees of these forests form a closed canopy, and there is often one or two layers of understory trees, a shrub layer, and an herb layer. Most of the trees are deciduous, and their leaves decompose relatively fast, thus providing a high level of organic material especially close to the surface. Most foresters believe hardwoods grow best on soils that are slightly acidic to neutral. What is the independent variable of this exercise? What is the dependent variable of this exercise? • What are two of the control variables? • Which forest do you predict will have the greatest species diversity in its soil? What is the rationale of your decision? ● . Often overlooked in general discussions of terrestrial communities are the organisms that live below ground. Soil communities can include various microbes such as archaea, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa, as well as a variety of microinvertebrates including springtails, mites, nematodes, and earthworms. These organisms provide several ecological functions including decomposing organic matter, fixing atmospheric nitrogen, and enriching the physical and chemical conditions of soil. Lab Objectives: In this exercise you will survey the invertebrate organisms of soil from a pine forest and a hardwood forest and compare the species diversity of the two. These resident invertebrates have already been collected for you, and the instructor will explain the procedures used. ●

Biology 2e

2nd Edition

ISBN:9781947172517

Author:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann Clark

Publisher:Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi, Mary Ann Clark

Chapter46: Ecosystems

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 8RQ: What term describes the use of mathematical equations in the modeling of linear aspects of...

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