Introduction:
Microclimate is the difference in climate that occurs on a very small scale. Microclimate can be created because of altitude, aspect, vegetation, color of the ground, and boulders and burrows. Aspect is created in the presence of topographic features like hills, mountains, and valleys. In the Northern Hemisphere, the north-facing slopes are cooler because they receive less sun than the south-facing slopes. Since they receive less sun, they are also moister due to decreased evaporation rates. Different amounts of sun and moisture due to microclimate would seem to support different types of vegetation in biomes like forests (Molles, 2016). The composition of the forest would allow the direct observation of the influence of microclimate on tree distribution. Comparing the distribution of large and small trees can give an indication of what the composition of the forest may look like in the future.
Site Description:
The forest composition lab was carried out in Newton Hills State Park. The park is one of the largest forests in the area. The park is mostly trees along with intermittent prairie, the Big Sioux River is off to the east, and a smaller creek runs through the hills of the park. Trees of the forest include: prickly ash, red pine, hackberry, basswood, ironwood, …show more content…
As seen in figure 1, two flags were placed 20 m apart halfway up the slope and parallel with the valley. This marked points one and two. For each of the two points, the working area was divided into quadrats which were determined by the transect line and right angle lines. For each of the eight quadrats, the closest large tree (greater than 47 cm circumference) and the nearest medium tree (12.5 - 47cm circumference) were identified. The distance from the point, the circumference, and the species were recorded. These steps were completed for both the north and south facing
Microclimate is the difference in climate that occurs on a very small scale. Microclimate can be created because of altitude, aspect, vegetation, color of the ground, and boulders and burrows. Aspect is created in the presence of topographic features like hills, mountains, and valleys. In the Northern Hemisphere, the north-facing slopes are cooler because they receive less sun than the south-facing slopes. Since they receive less sun, they are also moister due to decreased evaporation rates. Different amounts of sun and moisture due to microclimate would seem to support different types of vegetation in biomes like forests (Molles, 2016). The composition of the forest would allow the direct observation of the influence of microclimate on tree distribution. Comparing the distribution of large and small trees can give an indication of what the composition of the forest may look like in the future.
Site Description:
The forest composition lab was carried out in Newton Hills State Park. The park is one of the largest forests in the area. The park is mostly trees along with intermittent prairie, the Big Sioux River is off to the east, and a smaller creek runs through the hills of the park. Trees of the forest include: prickly ash, red pine, hackberry, basswood, ironwood, …show more content…
As seen in figure 1, two flags were placed 20 m apart halfway up the slope and parallel with the valley. This marked points one and two. For each of the two points, the working area was divided into quadrats which were determined by the transect line and right angle lines. For each of the eight quadrats, the closest large tree (greater than 47 cm circumference) and the nearest medium tree (12.5 - 47cm circumference) were identified. The distance from the point, the circumference, and the species were recorded. These steps were completed for both the north and south facing