Assignment - BIO 150 3. Is the forest study site a secondary or primary growth forest?

Provide evidences for your answer. The forest study site we went to is a primary growth forest. Primary growth forests are forests that are untouched, pristine forests that exist in their original condition. The forest we went to has a full-ceiling canopy, several layers of understory and has little light penetrating the ground. The ground floor is generally clear of vegetation which was observed during the exercise. This is because of the little light that is able to penetrate the thick canopy (Buttler, 1994). Buttler, R. 1994. Types of Forest: Types of Rainforest. Retrieved on February 6, 2013 through http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0103.htm 4. Enumerate at least 3 characteristics of a primary growth tropical rainforest. Primary forests are those which have been relatively undisturbed by human activity and which contain trees of a wide range of ages. Human impacts in such forest areas have normally been limited to low levels of hunting, fishing and harvesting of forest products, and, in some cases, to low density, shifting agriculture with prolonged fallow periods. This type of forest has attained a great age and exhibits unique biological features. Primary forest tend to have more large trees and standing dead trees, multi-layered canopies with gaps resulting from the deaths of individual trees, and coarse woody debris on the forest floor. Primary forests are also often biologically diverse, housing rare species, threatened species, and endangered species of plants and animals. The characteristic topography of much old-growth forest consists of pits and mounds (Science Daily). Science Daily. 1995. Old Growth Forests. Retrieved on February 6, 2013 through http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/o/old_growth_forest.htm 5. Which study site has a higher species diversity based on Shannon Index? Provide reasons why this is so. According to Shannon Index of Diversity, the tropical forest has a higher species diversity than the tropical grassland. 6. Which speries is(are) common in the grassland? Give reasons why the species is(are) able to dominate the community. Imperata cylindrica. Imperata cylindrica (also known as cogon grass) was able to dominate most of the space in the grassland site studies. I. cylindrica occurs in a wide range of habitat from degraded forests to grasslands to young plantations. It has a wide distribution and adaptation to a wide range of climatic conditions and soils. It has high competitive ability with many crops and has large resistance to control. The aggressive and invasive

nature of I. cylindrica is attributed to its rhizomes. These are normally concentrated in the upper 15-20 cm of soil where they can remain dormant but viable for a long time. Rhizomes are resistant to fire because of deep soil burial. Deep burial also makes I. cylindrica very resistant to most control strategies. (Chikoye, n.d.) Chikoye, D. n.d. Characteristics and management of Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeuschel in smallholder farms in developing countries

7. Which species are rare in the grassland? Give evidence to support that the species you choose is rare. Tree sp. 2. Trees are not able to survive in grassland because of several reasons. First, grasslands have a low level of moisture which cannot accompany trees. The precipitation here is so erratic that fire and drought prevent large forests/trees from growing. The soil of most grasslands is also too thin and dry for trees to survive. 8. Which species are common in the forest? Give reasons why the species is able to dominate the community (if there are dominant species). lf there is no common species, provide some possible explanation why this is so. Based on the observations, there is one species which dominated the rainforest site. This is the Palo santo tree (Triplaris cumingiana). 39 individuals of Palo santo were found in the site and it has the greatest population density out of the 27 species found in the 300 m2 quadrant. Triplaris cumingianaI is a highly ornamental tree, displays colorful exfoliating bark and rosy violet blooms from winter to spring. This semi-evergreen rainforest tree is native from Panama to northern Peru. It is generally characterized as fast growing. It grows best in heat and humidity thus taking advantage of the high humidity and heat in the tropical rainforest biome. This tree is well adapted to the rainforest for this tree appreciates moistureretentive ground but will tolerate brief seasonal drought as well as periodic flooding (Commerce, 2006). Commerce, P. 2006. Learn2Grow: Triplaris cmingiana. Retrieved on February 6, 2013 through http://www.learn2grow.com/plants/triplaris-cumingiana/ Tropical rainforest and tropical grassland -biomes -tropical rainforest -community development or succession -climax community -pioneer species -species diversity -Shannon Index -Simpson's Index -density -cover