Lecture 11

Question 1

This plant (a Great Lakes Endemic) is found on the north shore of Lake Superior

Answer 1

Pitcher’s thistle

Question 2

What characteristics of pitcher’s thistle suggest that it grows in a hot/dry environment?

Answer 2

• Angled stems

- Small leaves (so the plant doesn’t dry out)

Question 3

Why can more soil form in the Superior Boreal than in the northern Boreal?

Name an animal in the SBF that lives in the soil.

Answer 3

The SBF is farther south, warmer, and has a longer growing season

Star-nosed mole

Question 4

What two trees that are common in the GLSL forest region are also present in the SBF?

Answer 4

White/red pine

Question 5

Pukaskwa National Park

Answer 5

• Famous for geology & glacial relicts
• Longest undeveloped shoreline on the Great Lakes
• TipTop Mountain - one of ON’s highest peaks (641m)

Question 6

What indicates that birds are nesting on a cliff?

Answer 6

Whitewash

Question 7

Why can a large number of plant species grow on cliffs? Which part of a cliff is warmer?

Answer 7

Cliffs provide variation in relief + microclimates

South side of a cliff is warmer + less shady

Question 8

What two factors result in subarctic conditions in the SBF? Name a northern plant that can grow in the SBF because of this.

Answer 8

Cold winds off Lake Superior + elevation

Alpine woodsia (small cliff fern)

Question 9

What is bioaccumulation?

Answer 9

Increase of toxin levels in the body

Question 10

How does the ingestion of insecticides affect birds?

Answer 10

• Changes their behaviour

- Eggshells become thinner

Question 11

Captive breeding of peregrine falcons

Answer 11

• Birds put into hacking boxes and fed by a tube
• They left when they were able to fly
• Started breeding again

Question 12

T/F: Peregrine falcons are the fastest known animal in the world

Answer 12

True: dives can reach >300km/h

Question 13

How do cliffs benefit birds?

Answer 13

• Ravens + peregrine falcons nest on cliffs

- Thermals - hawks move between them in the spring + fall (thermal hopping)

Question 14

How do thermals form?

Answer 14

Larger body of water with elevated land around it heats up differentially, forming rising columns of air

Question 15

Neys Prov. Park

Answer 15

• Large sand beaches
• former German POW camp
• Volanic rocks

Question 16

Clay Belt Boreal (CBB) characteristics

Answer 16

• Flat, low elevation (200-300m)
• On the Canadian Shield; hard, acidic, nutrient-poor
• Gentle, rolling hills + flat plains
• More precipitation

Question 17

Why is balsam fir more common in the CBB than in the northern BF?

Answer 17

More moisture/precipitation

Question 18

How did clay beds form in the CBB?

Answer 18

Lake Ojibway Barlow (a glacial lake) deposited clay in the area

Question 19

T/F: clay drains well, so the CBB is dry

Answer 19

False

Question 20

Clay is derived from…

Answer 20

Crushed/dissolved limestone

Question 21

Abundance of clay means that there’s a lot of this habitat:

Answer 21

Wetlands (some are peatlands; most of these are fens)

Question 22

This sedge grows in fens in the CBB:

Answer 22

Cottongrass

Question 23

Sedges can form a dominant habitat in shallow, rich water; what is this habitat called?

Answer 23

Sedge meadow

Question 24

Do fens in the CBB have sphagnum moss?

Answer 24

Yes, but it isn’t always dominant

Question 25

Bog bean

Answer 25

Grows in fens, leaves resemble bean leaves

Question 26

Sedge tussocks/hummocks

Answer 26

Formed by mounds that are where wetlands used to be - caused by sedges

Question 27

Why is the CBB an ideal region for cattail marshes?

Answer 27

They need a lot of nutrients

Question 28

Examples of puddle ducks/dabblers in cattail marshes

Answer 28

- Mallard - American Black Duck - Wood Duck

Question 29

Why are rails (e.g. Virginia Rails) able to walk through thick cattails?

Answer 29

Body is compressed laterally

Question 30

This bird has specialized lobes on its feet that open/close to help them move through cattail marshes:

Answer 30

American Coot

Question 31

T/F: Pied-billed Grebes have long, lobed toes that help them navigate the habitat

Answer 31

True

Question 32

T/F: Skimmers are rare in the CBB

Answer 32

False

Question 33

What other animals benefit from rich, shallow waters?

Answer 33

- Turtles - Moose - Amphibians (e.g. toads, mink frogs)

Question 34

What does the abundance of aquatic snails in the CBB indicate?

Answer 34

Presence of calcium; their shells are made of it

Question 35

Can moose and beavers live in cattail marshes?

Answer 35

Yes, but the latter requires enough water

Question 36

Why are cattail marshes such rich habitats?

Answer 36

- Increased precipitation | - Clay left by Lake Ojibway Barlow

Question 37

T/F: white/red pine are indicators for the CBB

Answer 37

False: they only grow there if the conditions are suitable

Question 38

Are rivers in the CBB part of the Arctic or Atlantic Watershed?

Answer 38

Arctic

Question 39

The CBB supports a lot of plants that grow in (basic or acidic?) soil

Answer 39

Basic

Question 40

Cedar swamp

Answer 40

Wet habitat containing eastern cedars

Question 41

Which lady's slipper can be found in cedar swamps?

Answer 41

Showy Lady's slipper

Question 42

The calciphilic plants in the CBB can vary in their distribution; give an example of one plant with a northern distribution and one with a southern distribution

Answer 42

Northern: Bird's eye primrose Southern: Wood lily