ecological succession. defined change in community composition over time –can be seen following a...
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Ecological Succession
Defined• Change in community composition over time
– Can be seen following a disturbance• Volcanic Eruption
• Glacial Movement
• Fire
Primary Succession
Volcanic Explosion
Glacier Receding
Bare Rock
Secondary SuccessionAreas where living organisms occurred but a
disturbance destroyed the community
Pioneer Communities
Very Little to no SoilsLichens and MossesWind dispersed fast growing plantsLittle to no animals
Intermediate CommunitiesSoil formed from decomposed primary communityGrassesFull sun exposed fast growing trees and shrubsHerbivores
Mature CommunitiesDeeper SoilsSlow Growing TreesPlant Species that are more tolerant of variable conditionsShade Species of Flowers and Shrubs
Lichen
• Symbiotic association between a photosynthetic microorganism and a fungus
• Grows on– Rocks– Rotting logs– Trees
www.elkhornslough.org/ newspages/lichens.htm
http://www.rbge.org.uk
Dandelions(Taraxacum)
• Grow quickly and produce large number of seeds
• Seeds dispersed by wind currents
Cenchrus spinifex
(Field sandspur) • Annual grass in the Poaceae family, grows up to 1 foot tall
• Grows in full sun and in disturbed sites
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CESP4
White-tailed deer(Odocoileus virginianus)
• Diet includes: Leaves, twigs, and fruits or nuts of most vegetation including trees, as well as lichens and other fungi.
www.britannica.com/ebc/art/print?id=55849
Ruffed Grouse
• These birds forage on the ground or in trees but spend most of their time on the ground
• Diet includes: berries, seeds, fruits, nuts, leaves, and insects
www.pbase.com/muskrat/image/45132899
Gray Squirrel
• Primary component of diet includes hard nuts and fruit
• Will also eat seeds, fungi, insects and other arthropods, tree bark, nectar, leaves, buds, flowers, and sometimes bird eggs, nestlings and carrion (carcasses of dead animals).
www.snowmancam.com/wildlife_identification.htm
Wild Turkey
• Diet includes seeds, insects, and an occasional frog or lizard
www.statesymbolsusa.org/.../bird_wild_turkey.html
American Burying Beetle
• Diet includes the bodies of dead and decaying animals
• Play a major role as decomposers
Timber Rattlesnake
• Diet mainly includes small mammals, but may include small birds, frogs, or other snakes.
Eastern White Pine
(Pinus strobus)• Evergreen, fast growing tree
• Reaches heights up to 80 feet tall
• Needs full sun, and well-drained soil http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/
4/48/Pinus_strobus_trees.jpg/513px-Pinus_strobus_trees.jpg
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
• Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 50 feet tall
• Prefers full-sun
• Light sandy soils
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm
Deciduous Holly(Ilex decidua)
• Deciduous shrub or tree, grows up to 18 feet tall
• Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/i/iledec/iledec1.html
Four-leaf Milkweed(Asclepias quadrifolia)
• Perennial wildflower grows up to 2 feet tall
• Semi-shade tolerant and thrives in a variety of soil conditions
• Pollinated by butterflies, bees, moths, and attracts many different species of wildlife
© Gary P. Fleming
Dense blazing stars
(Liatris spicata)• Slow growing wildflower; grows up to 4.5 feet tall
• Grows best in full sunlight but is also partially shade tolerant images.whiteflowerfarm.com/32955a.jpg
Bottlebrush grass
(Elymus hystrix)• Perennial grass, grows up to 5 feet tall
• Wind pollinated and seeds are dispersed by wind
• Found in meadows and woodlands © Gary P. Fleming
Red Maple(Acer rubrum)
• Deciduous, shade tolerant tree, grows up to 90 feet tall
• Tolerates many sun conditions and soil environments
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm
Black Walnut(Juglans nigra)
• Tall, deciduous tree, grows up to 75 feet tall
• Moist, nutrient rich soils
• Fruits and nuts are food sources for many different wildlife species http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm
White Oak(Quercus alba)• Slow growing,
deciduous tree
• Grows up to 100 feet tall, and several feet wide
• Canopy species that creates large amounts of shade
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/epa/oakhickory.htm
Spring Beauty(Claytonia virginica)• Perennial
wildflower, grows up to 6 inches tall
• Shade tolerant
• Underground stem is eaten by rodents
© Gary P. Fleming
Star Chickweed(Stellaria pubera)
• Native perennial wildflower, grows up to 1 foot tall
• Shade tolerant
• Found in moist, well-drained, nutrient rich soil
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/star_chickweed.htm
Poison Ivy(Toxicodendron radicans)
• Woody vine that grows on trees and shrubs
• Moderately shade tolerant
• Wildlife including songbirds, turkey, and deer feed on it
http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/t/wtora2-br10834.jpg
Wake Robin(Trillium grandiflorum)
• Wildflower that grows up to 18 inches
• Shade tolerant, forest floor species
• Fruit eaten by ants
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/eastern/LakeVesuviusRockHouseTrail/images/trillium_grandiflora_lg.jpg
Black Bear(Ursus americanus)
• Omnivore
• Spring diet includes emerging plants and carcasses of animals that have died during the winter
• Summer diet includes fruits
• Fall diet includes fruits, acorns and beechnuts that have accumulated on the floor (mast)
• Black bears will also eat pinecones, roots, ants, and honey from wild or domestic bees
• Black bears are strong predators, and in some areas they frequently kill moose, calves, and deer fawns during spring.
greennature.com/.../black-bear.html
Bobcat(Lynx rufus)
• Diet includes rodents, rabbits, hares, and some birds.
Yellow-breasted chat
(Icteria virens)
• Most individuals extract small insects among foliage of trees or shrubs
Nuthatch • Searches tree trunks and rocks for food
• Diet includes insects and seeds
• Stores seeds for winter months