R SOC900B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Pinus Contorta, Jack Pine, Hardiness Zone

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Rural Sociology
• Course: R SOC900B
• Professor: Victor Lieffers

Document Summary

Differences across regions: precipitation, season, rain/snow, temperature (frosts, extreme weather, elevation, soil types, disturbance agents (lightning, fire, wind, insects) Lidar: forest types can be assessed by remote sensing- images from camera, or lidar (light detecting and ranging) Lidar can be coupled with models to estimate how wet sites might be. Indicator of precipitation: minimum and maximum temperature (including time of frost, wind. Soils: basis for plant growth, nutrient cycling, water storage and uptake, root anchoring. N cycle simplified: fixation n2 from atmosphere fixed into form used by plants (nh4) If there is disturbance some of the nh4. Soil texture: sand 0. 05- 2mm, silt 0. 002-0. 005mm, clay <0. 002mm. Loam soils (mixture of sand, silt, and clay: organic matter mixed in, rich parent material (sedimentary rock-limestone (ca, mg), healthy flora and fauna (aeration of soil, decomposition, nutrient storage). Poor soils: too dry coarse tectured, rocky, steep slope, too wet flooded permanently or periodically.