Ecosystems Classification - Plant Communities And Succession

Front 1

Whatis meant by “levels of integration in biology”.

Back 1

The specification of the biological level of organisms, from population to cellular levels.

Front 2

What makes up a plant community?

Back 2

Structure

Species composition

Front 3

What are the five important factors of a plant community?

Back 3

Flora

Accessibility

Ecological plant Properties

Habitat

Time

Front 4

What is flora?

Back 4

Plant taxa in the given area.

Front 5

What is accesibility?

Back 5

A species ability to reach the habitat and how the species is distributed in the habitat.

Front 6

What are ecological plant properties?

Back 6

The life forms and physiological requirements that alter the plants ability to compete with other species upon establishment.

Front 7

What is a habitat?

Back 7

The environmental factors of a given locality.

Front 8

What does time imply?

Back 8

The time passed since a major historical event that may have caused dispersement of invasive species or alterations of one or more habitat factors.

Front 9

What is an ecosystem?

Back 9

A community of biological organisms (flora and fauna) that interact with one another in the physical environment.

Front 10

What levels of integration are more essential to plant biology?

Back 10

Biosphere

Landscapes

Ecosystems

Communities

Populations

Front 11

Provide two factors of plants being absent from a site due to dispersal.

Back 11

Inaccessible areas

Insufficient growth materials

Front 12

Provide four factors of plants being absent from a site due to other species present in site.

Back 12

Competition

Parasitism

Disease

Predation

Front 13

Provide five factors of plants being absent from a site due to physical change.

Back 13

Temperature

Humidity

Light

Soil Structure

Fire

Front 14

Provide four factors of plants being absent from a site due to chemical change.

Back 14

Oxygen

PH

Salinity

Soil Nutrients

Front 15

What is the relationship between vegitation and climate?

Back 15

Vegetation is highly dependent of the amount of precipitation and temperature levels.

Front 16

Provide an example of the relationship between vegetation and climate.

Back 16

Ex. BC has both a temperate and coniferous forest as the region normally exhibits cold and temperatures near the mountain ranges along with an annual abundance of rainfall.

Front 17

Provide two examples for why solar radiation is important in ecology?

Back 17

Affects temperature and level of water intake.

Solar radiation moderates the growth rates of plants during photosynthesis.

Front 18

What is ecological succession?

Back 18

Ecological succession is the directional sequence of plant community and associated ecosystem changes over time.

Front 19

What are four examples that define primary succession?

Back 19

Exposed Glacial drift

Exposed Glacial bedrock

Recent lava flows or volcanic ash deposits

Old floodplains

Front 20

What is a climax state?

Back 20

Final stable community in a successional series in equilibrium with physical and biotic environment.

Front 21

What is a monclimax hypothesis?

Back 21

Every (climatic) region has only one possible climax community.

Front 22

Polyclimax hypothesis?

Back 22

Many different possible climax communities.

Front 23

Climax-pattern-view

Back 23

Allows for a continuum of climax types that vary gradually along environmental gradients

Are not neatly divisible into discrete climax types

Front 24

What is allogenic succession?

Back 24

Changes are caused by external environmental influences.

Front 25

What does allogenic succession alter?

Back 25

May alter nutrient content and water relationships.

Front 26

How are animals involved in allogenic succession?

Back 26

Animals can also be agents of allogenic changes as pollinators, seed disperses and herbivores.

Front 27

What is an example of allogenic succession?

Back 27

e.g. soil changes due to erosion, leaching or deposition of silt and clays.

Front 28

What is autogenic succession?

Back 28

Refers to changes caused by the organisms already there

Alteration of soil nutrients

Change in pH of soil by plants growing there

Plant structure can also alter the community

Front 29

What is Biogeocoenosis?

Back 29

A terrestrial ecosystem definable by its plant community.

Front 30

What is species association?

Back 30

The degree in which some species occur or interact with one another.

Front 31

Why are plant communities important?

Back 31

Primary producer layer of trophic pyramids

An integrator of ecological conditions.

Plants are stationary and communities are relatively stable

Primary importance for resources

Front 32

What is species abundance?

Back 32

Number of individuals per species.

Front 33

What is relative abundance?

Back 33

The evenness of distribution of individuals among species in a community.

Front 34

What is macro-climate?

Back 34

Climate of a large area such as a region or country.

Front 35

What is micro climate?

Back 35

Variations in localized climate around a building.

Front 36

What are the five attributes of an ecosystem?

Back 36

Function

Structure

Interconnectedness

Complexity

Change over time

Front 37

What is phytocoenosis?

Back 37

Another word for plant community.

Front 38

What is an edatopic grid?

Back 38

Graphical display showing the SMR and SNR.

Front 39

What is SAC?

Back 39

A graphical display showing the number of species observed as sampling area increases.

Front 40

What does mesic mean?

Back 40

A more or less median point of soil moisture regime.

Front 41

What is edaphic climax plant community?

Back 41

The endpoint in plant succession for sites with special, overriding soil conditions.

Front 42

What does seral imply?

Back 42

Pertaining to a successional stage.