Research/Project Results
Temperate
Deciduous forest Biome
Frankfort,
Page 4
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Final
Thoughts
The
class was very pleased with the results of the field study. They realized
that some factors would change a bit, day by day, such as soil moisture.
If it had rained the night before the study the values for soil moisture
would have been greater. However, the data they gathered does indicate
the conditions that other biota exist in. They felt that they had learned
a great deal in doing the study and now have a greater understanding
of how the forest operates.
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Here
is a photo of the edge of the forest that was studied. It shows grasses
and weeds at the forest edge. The edge of the forest shows some young
trees. In behind are the older, mature maples. This photo shows a
snapshot of succession. Each of the species of plants seen here thrive
under certain abiotic conditions (light, soil organic %, soil moisture
etc). Over time each modifies its
environment, making the environment optimal for a different type of plant.
For that reason, new species of plants take over. This changing of 1 type
of plant by another, over time, is called succession. The succession at
this forest edge is the same as the succession that occurs within a forest when
trees fall down.
Trilliums, both white and red,
are flowers of the deciduous forest. These flowers come out only in the very
early spring. This allows them to photosynthesize before trees produce large
leaves that would block out the light. They flower, produce seeds and large
fleshy red fruit (with the seeds inside) all before the end of June. They spend
the rest of the summer slowly growing large leaves, to re-energize the roots
for the next spring's flowering. They are called spring ephemerals, since they
are active for only a very short, "ephemeral" time.
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