Assignments

Question 1

What are 5 characteristics of bogs?

Answer 1

• little to no water flow
• water is acidic and nutrient poor
• dominated by sphagnum moss
• sphagnum moss forms peat which builds up when growth is faster than decomposition
• often a floating mat of vegetation over the surface of open water

Question 2

What are 2 characteristics of marshes?

Answer 2

• shallow water with seasonal fluctuations in water level

- vegetation is soft stemmed herbaceous plants

Question 3

What are 2 characteristics of swamps?

Answer 3

• area is dominated by water tolerant trees

- water supply is from ground water

Question 4

What are 3 characteristics of fens?

Answer 4

• dominated by sedges, grass, moss
• nutrient rich with high pH
• some water flow

Question 5

How does a kettle bog form?

Answer 5

1. Glaciers retreat, kettle lakes with poor drainage forms
2. Spagnum moss moves in
3. Spagnum moss needs cations like Ca and Mg so it releases H+ to balance the charges…acidifying effect
4. Mosses extend, floating mat develops
5. Organic matter accumulates due to acidic conditions
6. Eventually fills with peat (undecomposed sphagnum moss)

Question 6

What type of trees live in bogs and why?

Answer 6

Evergreens, they don’t drop their leaves, so they don’t lose the nutrients every year, and don’t have to regrow leaves with limited nutrients in a bog

Question 7

Why are wetlands important for migrating birds?

Answer 7

Resting place

Question 8

What are 3 animals that you would find in a bog?

Answer 8

• moose
• spruce grouse
• bald eagle
• dragonfly

Question 9

Name 3 sources of pollution

Answer 9

• agriculture
• municipal
• industrial

Question 10

How do wetlands deal with pollution?

Answer 10

• It works as a natural filter

- cleans contaminated water

Question 11

At what pH is rain considered acidic?

Answer 11

under 5.3

Question 12

What are the 2 common air pollutants that make rain acidic?

Answer 12

sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide form sulphuric acid and nitric acid

Question 13

What is the main source of sulfur dioxide emissions?

Answer 13

industrial sources. Non ferrous metal smelters and coal fired generators

Question 14

What is the main source of nitrogen oxide emissions?

Answer 14

fuel combustion from motor vehicles, coal fired generators

Question 15

What type of areas are more susceptible to acid rain damage and why?

Answer 15

Hard rock areas (granite). It lacks natural alkalinity so it is unable to neutralize the acid naturally.

Question 16

What is the difference between a critical load and a target load?

Answer 16

• critical load is how much pollution that the ecosystem can tolerate
• target load is the politically accepted amount of pollution in a ecosystem

Question 17

How does acid rain effect fish?

Answer 17

there is an increase in aluminium and acidity, both which are bad for the fish. It may not kill them, but it will stress them causing lower body weight. Youth fish are particularly susceptible

Question 18

What is the buffering capacity of a lake determined by?

Answer 18

thickness and composition of the soil, type/composition of bedrock

Question 19

List 5 ways that acid rain damages trees

Answer 19

• damages leaves
• limits nutrient uptake
• solubility changes means aluminium can become toxic
• possible loss of nutrients from leaves
• increased susceptibility to cold

Question 20

What is the best way to save endangered species?

Answer 20

Preserve habitat by preserving large regions and being aware of what goes on adjacent to the reserve

Question 21

Why are small reserves not enough to save species?

Answer 21

• restricts the number of species and genetic diversity
• prevents migration and recolonization
• large bodied animals need larger space than small bodied animals

Question 22

What is connectivity?

Answer 22

• corridors that connect small reserves and increases reserve sizes by linking them.
• allows movement of individuals and genetic material

Question 23

How does connectivity improve biodiversity?

Answer 23

• increases size of reserve areas
• connects populations, allows flow of genes
• escape routes from disturbances or change
• allows recolonization of disturbed areas

Question 24

Give 5 ways that roads negatively impact forest areas

Answer 24

• increased edge effects (increased wind, sunlight, weedy/invasive species)
• increased siltation
• danger to animals
• greater human access
• habitat fragmentation

Question 25

What are edge effects?

Answer 25

Partly disturbed transition areas between forest and disturbed areas. Weedy and invasive species are present

Question 26

Name 5 reasons habitat fragmentation has a negative impact

Answer 26

- reduces habitat and interior space due to increased edges and more island - loss of reclusive species - loss of genetic diversity (less movement) - increased invasive species - general ecological decline

Question 27

How does agriculture have a negative impact on habitat?

Answer 27

- reduced wetland areas, interference with natural water movement - increased people and pets - increased domestic grazers - predators that prey on domestic grazers are killed - cattle negatively impact riparian areas - overgrazing allows invasive species access

Question 28

How does urbanization negatively impact habitat?

Answer 28

- loss of productive land - habitat fragmentation - changes natural drainage patterns

Question 29

What is the difference between a weed and a invasive plant?

Answer 29

- invasive plants can establish and spread to new habitats following introduction without human help - all invasive plants are weeds but not all weeds are invasive plants - invasive plants are associated with natural habitats, while weeds are associated with managed habitats

Question 30

How does resource availability effect invasion?

Answer 30

- increased resource availability helps invasion - climax or late seral stages with lots of large dominants can be invaded by smaller plant species that can make use of unused resources

Question 31

How does species richness effect invasion?

Answer 31

-lower species diversity during early successional stages. This means increased vulnerability to invasion

Question 32

How does habitat fragmentation effect invasion?

Answer 32

- increased edge effects increases vulnerability to invasion | - edges have increased leak due to less internal cycling and greater losses of water and nutrients

Question 33

Why do invasive plants have an advantage over native plants?

Answer 33

they lack natural enemies. They grow larger, reproduce more, and live longer, because they spend fewer resources on defence mechanisms.

Question 34

What do the invasive plant's life history look like?

Answer 34

perennials or biennials

Question 35

What are the 3 steps of invasion?

Answer 35

- introduction - naturalization - invasion

Question 36

Explain the introduction stage in invasion

Answer 36

plants are transported to an area outside of their natural geographic range

Question 37

Explain the naturalization stage in invasion

Answer 37

- plants establish themselves to a point where they are self reproducing - population is large enough to avoid local extinction, but does not spread - may need habitat fragmentation to spread more

Question 38

Explain the invasion stage in invasion

Answer 38

- naturalized plant is able to produce reproductive offspring in areas away from the site of introduction - population grows exponentially - may still be able to eliminate them in early lag phase due to the bottleneck effect - bottleneck may be due to low genetic diversity or presence of only a few plants