Category: Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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My research is looking at the growth rates of Kinnikinnick in presence and absence of a canopy (or forest cover). Some ecological processes that may be involved is the difference in soil type in these locations as well as other competition in vegetation. As seen in several studies, different vegetation will grow in different locations. There may be other vegetation Kinnikinnick is competing with in these locations that is affecting the growth rate. In some of the areas I was completing my research in there was other species growing between the branches of Kinnikinnick. There could be potential that these plants root systems have effects on the root system of Kinnikinnick.

Keywords: Kinnikinnick, soil type, sunlight, exposure, vegetation

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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As I briefly discussed in blog 6 about other factors influencing my study such as, atmospheric temperature, disturbance, food preference and phenology –amongst other aspects– a few ecological processes are in question and are important to investigate and discuss to support/supplement my research and findings.

Some of the major ecological processes that are considered in my study are:

SOIL CHARACTERISTICS: HYDROLOGY, MOISTURE, TYPE, ACIDITY

  • Do thatcher ants have certain soil preferences? Does soil acidity, moisture, and type indicate habitat preference? Do these characteristics enable the composition of mound microclimate? According to Beatie and Culver (1977), Formica obscuripes can change mound soil chemistry and affect vegetation succession at the site.

RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM: HYDROLOGY, VEGETATION, DISTURBANCE

  • Are thatcher ants a predominant species in riparian ecosystems? Is it due to the vegetation, substrate and soil availability? Are they known to be most resilient in these specific ecosystems? How do they contribute to this type of ecosystem?

COMMUNITY/SPECIES STRUCTURE: Success, fitness, resilience, tolerance, competition, indicator species.

  • Are thatcher ants more adaptable/resilient to riparian habitat? How are they indicator species?

PHENOLOGY: Climate, temperature, seasonality, food availability, life cycle, biological timing.

FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY: Species function, abiotic processes, mound microclimate, nutrient cycling.

Keywords:

Formica obscuripes, western thatcher ant, soil type, soil moisture, ant fitness, mound microclimate.

Source:

Beatie, A. J., and Culver, D.C. 1997. Effects of the Mound Nests of the Ant Formica obscuripes, on the Surrounding Vegetation. The American Midland Naturalist. 97(2):390-399. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2425103

 

Blog Post 7 Theoretical Perspectives

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My research is primarily concerned with the presence or absence of conks growing on trees. This relates to tree health, possibly opportunistic pathogens, and succession of a second-growth forest.

An idea that underpins my research is conk prevalence in one area of Mundy Forest. Is it a natural environmental condition, is it there because of tree disease and is the tree decaying before the presence of conks or because of it? It also touches on disturbance regimes and the successional stages of the forest (micro-disturbance from the death of trees allowing more lower canopy growth with additional light availability). The typical forest structure of the Pacific North West includes an iconic species, Western redcedar, in which climate change is strongly affecting the typical forest diversity. Changes in precipitation, temperature and drought patterns are affecting the distribution and health of Western redcedar. This may be an idea underpinning my research of tree health or decline and may have nothing to do with conks.

 

Tree health, opportunistic pathogens, climate change, bracket fungi

Blop Post 7: Theoretical Perspective

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Seasonality, weather, and type of topographical vegetation are contributing factors to white-tailed deer activity and movement. However, the prairie ecosystem of North America is vast in area, so activity and movement  varies within regions. To effectively manage and track white-tailed deer populations, region-specific empirical information such as which kind of vegetation coverage has higher white-tailed deer activity during a specific season needs to be collected.

Keywords:  white-tail deer, vegetation coverage, activity

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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The purpose of my research project was to investigate soil moisture as a potential limiting factor of tree size and frequency in my study area. In measuring soil moisture along a slope, an ecological process that my hypothesis and research touches on is the hydrological cycle. It focuses on water infiltration of near-surface soil, percolation and, indirectly, water uptake by surrounding vegetation and trees (Freedman et al. 2015). Ideas underpinning my research project include how gravity impacts water distribution in near-surface soil layers along a slope, how varying degrees of soil moisture impact surrounding vegetation, specifically trees in my research, and conversely, how vegetation impacts soil moisture.

Keywords: Soil moisture, slope, balsam poplar forest

References

Freedman, B., Hutchings, J., Gwynne, D., Smol, J., Suffling, R., Turkington, R., Walker, R. and Bazely, D. 2015. Ecology: a Canadian context. Second edition. Nelson Education, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Blog Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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My hypothesis (that the community structure of forb species changes as elevation increases within a riparian environment) is likely related to several underlying processes within my study area (located on the Eastern bank of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon). The underlying processes that (appear to) impact the types of forbs and their abundance along the elevation gradient are soil moisture/type, cover, competition, and disturbance.

 

I have soil-sampled (through hand texturing) each of my quadrats and it seems that the soil moisture content is related to the types of forbs that I find at various elevations. I initially expected to see a steady decline in soil moisture as elevation increased; however, soil moisture was not directly related to elevation in all locations. Areas with dense shrub cover appear to have higher soil moisture than areas without cover at similar elevations. In addition, the quadrats shaded by heavy shrub cover do not appear to have the same community structure as quadrats with similar soil moisture and are not shaded. Therefore, this has led me to believe that competition from shrubs and canopy cover may also influence the community structure of forbs in the area.

 

Finally, it is notable that some transects have an elevation difference of 25 meters (from the lowest quadrat to the highest quadrat). The study area maintains a (relatively) consistent river depth throughout the year because of its close proximity of a weir (which was constructed for the purpose of maintaining a consistent water level within the city). Therefore, flood disturbance does not likely play a major part in community structure at higher elevations. However, the modest fluctuations in river depth do submerge the lowest quadrats when the river is high. Therefore, flooding may also be an influence on forb community structure within my study location.

 

On a broader, theoretical level: different species of forb within my study area are likely to have a wide variety of adaptations to deal with disturbance, water submergence, drought, and shade. While these adaptations remain unknown to me at the moment, I can speculate on several adaptations that some of the forb species may have. For example: it is possible that drought tolerant species (found closer to the uplands) have deeper roots (that can penetrate lower in the soil to access groundwater) than the forb species that exhibit a preference for areas with higher levels of water saturation. Conversely, species that exhibit a high preference for low elevations may have adaptations to prevent them from becoming waterlogged by high levels of water saturation.

 

Keywords: Riparian vegetation, forb community structure, elevation gradient

Blog Post #7 Theoretical Perspectives

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The basis for my research on amphibians, specifically frogs and toads (anurans) on Prince Edward Island, is that our landscape is predominantly farming, with the majority of that farming being potato farming. My research has been to study the abundance of four species of frogs and one species of toad. These anurans only call during mating season, and are most active after sunset, so I went out to ten locations during their mating season to assess abundance. I chose 10 sites at random, however, I did have to choose the sites based on their ability to host frogs and toads-freshwater, riparian zones. I was curious to see if there was a relationship to active farming sites and species abundance. I am pretty sure that my research will show no correlation-of which I am pretty upset about, as I based my whole summer on this. I will endeavor to show that BMP (best management practices) may have something to do with this, as we had our mandatory buffer zone increased to 15 meters in 2005. My research keywords would be

Anuran, farming, buffer zone

Post 7: Theoretical Perspectives

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My research project looks at tree species composition in riparian ecosystems. Essentially, riparian ecosystems are highly dynamic and volatile environments due to the prevalence of natural disturbances, such as landslides and flooding. These ecosystems are highly competitive and the tree species that occupy them need to have adaptations to survive in the face of frequent disturbances and resource limitations. My project studies a stretch of riparian lake shoreline and investigates whether there is a relationship between flood frequency and species composition by analysing species composition at different elevations on the bank of the lake. My primary focus is on the species Alnus rubra, and determining first whether there is a correlation between more frequent flood disturbances on the lower elevations of the shoreline and increased relative abundance of Alnus rubra, in relation to conifer species.

Secondly, my research looks into potential reasons for such a pattern. I refer to a number of research studies that suggest levels of resilience to flood disturbance, tolerance to waterlogging, substrate preferences and reproductive strategies are responsible for the distribution of Alnus rubra and the conifer species across the flood prone, and upper elevations of the Nita Lake shoreline. Ultimately, riparian tree species composition is not stagnant, but always evolving through different stages of succession, which at any time can be disrupted by flood disturbance and turned back to the first stage. In order to predict species composition in riparian ecosystems, one must have an understanding of the life history strategies and adaptations of the different species that interact to produce these successional dynamics.

 

Keywords:

Riparian ecosystem

Flood disturbance

Life history strategies

 

Blog Post #7

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My hypothesis is that flooding has an effect of the variety of plant life growing alongside a creek. Ecological processes that my research project may touch on are the impact of flooding on plant life, adaptations that allow some plants to survive flooding, and competition for resources along a creek/river side gradient. Other ideas my project may relate to are soil moisture and sun exposure. I could also look at the effects of melting snow in the spring and excess rain on plants living near moving water.

Three key words that I could use to describe my research project are flooding, creekside vegetation, and competition.