ENV100Y5 Lecture 29: ENV100 - 29 - Forest Ecosystems
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
These lectures will help you understand: types, ecological roles, and economic contributions of forests, history, scale, and causes of forest loss, forest management and harvesting methods, some challenges of managing renewable resources. Forest ecosystems cover 30% of earth"s land surface contain 90% of terrestrial biodiversity. Photosynthesis fungal symbiosis: mycorrhizae: symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi, plant gets increased surface area for nutrient absorption; fungus gets carbohydrates mycorrhizae critical to plant success; productivity. Ectomycorrhizae: fungus forms a sheath around root animals are important in dispersing fungal spores in many forest ecosystems. Soils supply water and nutrients to trees transpiration stream: a necessary evil: to transport water, water must be lost, capillary action = moves h2o 2-3m (small proportion of water transportation, rest = evaporation, redwood: evaporates 160 gal. /d. Mature forests are complex ecosystems: provide habitat, maintain soil, air, and water quality, and play key roles in biogeochemical cycles. Layers are integral to the function and diversity of the ecosystem.
