Climax Communities




BIO326 : Community : Succession : Climax Communities

Exercise: Climax Communities

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DUE: 7-Apr-2000. Work sent after this date will receive a grade of zero.

The United States Geological Survey has mapped vegetation communities in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

1. One of the ecological associations described in the Park is the shortleaf pine forest alliance.

a) What are the characteristics of this association which identify it as the shortleaf pine forest alliance?

b) Under what conditions would this alliance be considered a climax community and under what conditions would it be considered a successional stage?

2. Two of the alliances which occur in the Smokies are: 1) White oak - (Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Black Oak) Forest Alliance; and, 2) the Red Oak - Red Maple - (Hickory species)/New York Fern Forest.

a) Which of these alliances could be an earlier successional stage of the other? Explain.

b) What are the changes in vegetation and soils you would hypothesize would occur in the transition from the earlier to the later successional stage?

3. The Sand-myrtle Dwarf-shrubland seems more like a case of primary succession than a climax community. What evidence would support each of these hypotheses?

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E-mail Professor Gaud at William.Gaud@nau.edu
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