Forest Ecology Lab Report

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3 word format

document in english

biology

case study

published 17/09/2007

review : not yet assessed

level : General public

requested 4 times

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Summary

This lab was set up in order to demonstrate the diversity and at the same time scarcity of species of plants in a long island forest as an example for a very global issue. The main principles involved were the community structure and dynamics of ecology. To observe this in the open we sectioned off three different areas, a grassland, forest edge and mid forest. While examining these areas our main goal was to notice which plants species were dominant and which were only to be found on the outskirts of a sectioned off area.
It was fascinating to see the increased diversity of plants and species on the forest edge in contrast to the mid forest. The forest edge was dense with plants struggling to survive while the plants dominant in the mid forest have taken over and pushed back their competitors in turn creating a less dense environment. Plant life is affected by things such as abiotic environmental factors (Miyazaki 27-28), specialist consumers, which are herbivores and pathogens co-existing with a plant in its native area, and interactions with neighboring plants (Calloway 436-437). Today biodiversity is declining at an exceptionally rapid rate, mainly due to habitat destruction, overexploitation, and competition from non-native invasive species (Miyazaki 23).