Lecture 13 Flashcards
T/F: the Algonquin Highlands are located on a batholith
True
Characteristics - west side of Algonquin
- High/rolling hills
- Received glacial till deposits; hold water
- Hardwood forest (maple, beech, ash)
- More precipitation, warmer
Characteristics - east side of Algonquin
- Lower elevation
- Large sand beds
- Less precipitation, warmer
A _____ _____ left ____ ____ on the east side of Algonquin
glacial spillway, outwash plains
The sand beds in eastern Algonquin were left by water moving through a ____ _____
fossmill outlet
What are the 3 layers of life in maple-dominated hardwood forests
- Canopy
- Shrub Layer
- Forest Floor
Species - canopy layer of hardwood forests (9)
- insect gleaners (Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo)
- Hawks (Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged hawk)
- Gray Tree Frog
- Barred Owl
- Martens
- American Beeches
- Black bears
Species - shrub layer of hardwood forests (5)
- Striped/Moose Maple
- Beaked Hazel (a shrub)
- Hobblebush
- Black-throated Blue Warbler
- Wood Thrush (nests in shrubs)
What are some issues for plants on the forest floor?
- Shady - influenced by maples
- Dead leaves are compressed due to snow, making soil inaccessible to seeds
What is spring ephemeralism? What are the risks of this for wildflowers in Algonquin Park?
Refers to plants that bloom early in the spring. Risks include cold temp. and damage from snow.
How do wildflowers in the forest overcome shade?
- Large leaves
- Spring ephemeralism
How do wildflowers in the forest overcome the thick leaf layer?
- Chipmunks, ants, etc bury or bring seeds underground
- Grow on fallen/rotting trees
- Leaf layer burnt away by fire
How do maple keys overcome the leaf layer?
- Small root grows through leaves
- Wings/spinning motion while falling
What is a perched tree?
Grows on a dead log, has roots above soil; remains ‘perched’ when the log rots away
Name 2 trees that depend on nurse logs and ground fires
- Eastern Hemlock
- Yellow Birch
Animals in the forest floor layer (4)
- Springtails (insect, eats dead plant matter)
- Salamanders (e.g. Spotted Salamander)
- Ground-dwelling birds (e.g. Ovenbird, Ruffed Grouse)
T/F: Maple seedlings on the forest floor live long lives
F: They’re only shade tolerant for a few years, and die unless an older tree dies, providing sunlight
Do moose eat the bark of red maples or sugar maples?
Red maples
Herbivores in the hardwood forest (2):
- Moose
- White-tailed deer
What are polypores?
Fungi that decompose wood into basic nutrients
Name a bark beetle that bores into wood
Sugar maple borer
List woodpeckers in increasing order of beak size (3). Which one can dig deepest into wood?
- Downy
- Hairy
- Pileated - can dig the deepest
How do woodpeckers exemplify niche partitioning?
They feed on insects at different depths in the wood
Why can a larger diversity of birds survive in Algonquin Park?
Niche partitioning; feed on insects at different depths in the wood
