Download Conserve all the pieces and processes

Ecological
Foundations
Earth Partnership for Schools
Southeast Michigan Institute
Suzan Campbell
Oakland County n 2009
overview . . .
Overview:
•Ecology 101
•Landforms
• Soils
• Regional Landscape Ecosystems
• Natural Communities
• Internet Resources Activity
• Ecosystem Management
ecology 101 . . .
Ecosystems
Ecological Society of America
(Christenson et al., 1996)
A spatially explicit unit of the Earth that
includes all the organisms, along with all the
components of the abiotic environment within
its boundaries.
ecology 101 . . .
More than biotic/abiotic components Ecosystems include:
•processes
•functions
•interactions
ecology 101 . . .
Energy cycle
all* energy for life
comes from the
sun
plants capture
this energy
animals utilize
this captured
energy from
plants
energy flow is
one way (heat
lost)
Diagram here
ecology 101 . . .
Food webs
ecology 101 . . .
Water cycle
earth’s supply of
water is fixed
stored in aquifers,
glaciers, plants
land cover affects:
infiltration
runoff rates
erosion
flood risk
ecology 101 . . .
Nitrogen
cycle
plants can’t use nitrogen in
its most abundant form
(N2)
bacteria and lightning
convert it to a useable
form (NH4)
human activities affect
nitrogen’s form, impact in
the environment
nitrogen is only one of
many nutrient cycles
ecology 101 . . .
Don’t forget the
invisible !!!
soils provide most
Of nutrients
needed for plant
growth
major player in
water, nutrient
cycles
stores water
eroded rock, nutrients, decaying
organic matter, water, air, billions
of living organisms
ecology 101 . . .
Carrying capacity:
maximum pop. size of a particular species that a given
habitat can support over a given time period
ecology 101 . . .
This applies to us,
too!!!
ecology 101 . . .
Whole ecosystems have limits too:
need some number of producers, consumers, and
decomposers to function
must maintain important natural processes and
interdependencies
no one knows all the limits
no one knows which species count
We can try to mimic ecosystems that work . . .
. . . both native and cultural
ecology 101 . . .
Succession
The orderly and predictable replacement
of plants and animals over time
The changes are different in
different physical settings and
under different disturbance regimes.
ecology 101 . . .
Tolerance
“The engine of forest succession is fueled by the relative
tolerance of trees to competitive conditions.”
Competitive variables:
•light
•moisture
•nutrients
•oxygen
•space
•disturbance
Tolerance to low light
levels is critical on
mesic sites!
ecology 101 . . .
Shade tolerance
Intolerant
Tolerant
Paper birch Black cherry Yellow birch Basswood
Flowering dogwood
Aspens
Hophornbeam
Tuliptree
Silver maple Red maple
Cottonwood Sycamore
White oak
Black spruce Beech
Pin cherry
Black oak
Red oak
White spruce Sugar maple
Tamarack
Red ash
Hickories
Jack Pine
Sassafras
White ash
Red pine
Elms
Red cedar
White pine
ecology 101 . . .
Gap-phase dynamics
In communities of shade-tolerant
species, young trees can thrive in
the understory until a gap occurs in
the canopy
•Sugar maple produces prolific
seedlings
•Beech bends to capture light
Sugar maple and beech may not be
as competitive in all situations
(frequent disturbance, low nutrient,
oxygen, etc.)
ecology 101 . . .
Natural disturbances:
ecology 101 . . .
Disturbance-adapted communities
Fire:
Grasslands, barrens, oak-hickory forest, pine forests
Flooding:
Floodplain forest, swamps, wet meadows, prairies
(human) Managed landscapes:
Agricultural fields, timber stands, sprawl & urban decay. . .
your landscape context . . .
Think about your local natural
landscape::
• what does it look like?
• what are its boundaries?
• what plants grow there?
• what animals live there?
• why has this combination of plants, animals,
soils, waterways and landforms ended up
together in this space?
landforms . . .
Michigan’s landscape was shaped by
glaciers
landforms . . .
14,500 years ago . . .
. . . glaciers covered most of the
state
Interlobate
landforms . . .
Enormous volumes of meltwater
sorted sand and gravel
Outwash
landforms . . .
Where the ice was stagnant and
melting in large chunks, kames and
eskers were deposited
Kame
Esker
landforms . . .
Sometime ice chunks broke off and were
buried in debris - when they melted they
formed kettles, a kind of depression
Kettles
landforms . . .
Where they paused, moraines were
deposited . . . as they melted, lakes
formed
landforms . . .
End moraines
landforms . . .
End moraines
landforms . . .
Lake deposits
landforms . . .
Lake deposits
landforms . . .
What they left behind . . .
Moraines long ranges of hills that
trace the original glacial
lobes
Outwash plains & ice
contact features flat plains, kettles,
kames & eskers
Lakeplains low flat lands with
beach ridges
soils . . .
soils . . .
soils . . .
Drift: material that has been moved
by a glacier
Till: unsorted sediments
deposited directly by
glaciers
Stratified drift: sediments
that have been sorted by
glacial meltwater
(outwash, ice contact
features)
soils . . .
Moraines: unsorted (till)
– Ranges of hill, soils with mixed particle sizes, often with good water
retention, drier if materials are coarser, nutrient-rich, include silts
and clays
– Support hardwood forests
Outwash: sorted sands and gravels
– Flat or undulating lands with coarse texture soils, nutrient poor,
droughty, fire-prone, can be poorly drained depending on how thick
they are and what lies below.
– Support grasslands, savannas, oak and pine forests
Ice contact features: sorted sands and
gravels
– Conical hills (kames) or long, linear hills (eskers)
– Dry oak and/or pine forest, hillside prairie
soils . . .
Kettles: ice block depressions
– Silts and clays with poor drainage
– Lakes, bogs, marshes, swamps
Lakeplain: bottom of meltwater
lakes
– Silty clays and clays
– Sandy beach ridges overlying clay
– Support hardwood swamps, wet prairies, coastal wetlands
on clay, forests, savanna and drier prairie on ridges
Bedrock: vary by type of rock
– Harsh conditions
– Sparse vegetation
landscape ecosystems . . .
Regional Landscape Ecosystems of
Michigan,
Minnesota, and Wisconsin:
A Working Map and Classification
(Dennis A. Albert)
. . . the landscape is conceived here
as a series of ecosystems, large and small, nested
within one another in a hierarchy of spatial sizes.
Available
online
Interactive map interface
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/rlandscp.htm
landscape ecosystems . . .
Sections:
based on long-term climate records,
*
physiography
Section IX.
Northern Continental M, W & M
• continental influenced climate
• extremely cold in winter
• lake effect precipitation along
Lake Superior
Section VIII.
Northern Lake Influenced Upper M & W
• lake moderated temperatures
• lake effect precipitation along
Lake Superior
Section VII.
Northern Lake Influenced Lower Michigan
• lake moderated temperatures
• lake effect snow near shorelines
• interior has greatest weather extremes
Section VI.
Southern Lower Michigan
• longest growing season
• lake moderated temperatures
• more warm humid air/less cold dry air
*
physiography – form of the land and parent material
landscape ecosystems . . .
Sections:
based on long-term climate records,
*
physiography
Section IX.
Northern Continental M, W & M
• continental influenced climate
• extremely cold in winter
• lake effect precipitation along
Lake Superior
Section VIII.
Northern Lake Influenced Upper M & W
• lake moderated temperatures
• lake effect precipitation along
Lake Superior
Section VII.
Northern Lake Influenced Lower Michigan
• lake moderated temperatures
• lake effect snow near shorelines
• interior has greatest weather extremes
Section VI.
Southern Lower Michigan
• longest growing season
• lake moderated temperatures
• more warm humid air/less cold dry air
*
physiography – form of the land and parent material
landscape ecosystems . . .
Sub-sections & sub-subsections:
*
based on long-term climate records,
physiography
Section VI.
Southern Lower Michigan
Sub-section VI.1. Washtenaw
landscape ecosystems . . .
Sub-subsections:
based on physiography (land form/parent material) - because it controls fluxes of radiation and
moisture and thereby strongly determines the pattern of soil, microclimate, and vegetation.
Section VI.
Southern Lower Michigan
Sub-section VI.1. Washtenaw
• Sub-sub-section VI.1.1 Maumee Lakeplain
• Sub-sub-section VI.1.2 Ann Arbor Moraines
• Sub-sub-section VI.1.3 Jackson Interlobate
thinking locally . . .
Natural communities
Background so far:
•natural process disturbances
•landform
•soil
•climate
We’ll be adding
•biota
thinking locally . . .
Natural communities
recurrent interacting assemblage of climate,
landform, soil, native plants, animals, and
dynamic processes at a local scale

thinking locally . . .
Natural communities
recurrent interacting assemblage of climate,
landform, soil, native plants, animals, and
dynamic processes at a local scale


identified by dominant vegetation
natural communities . . .
In a highly altered landscape:
How do we know which assemblages of
•climate,
•landform,
•soil,
•plants & animals
•dynamic processes
are natural ?
natural communities . . .
Community types

forest

grassland and savanna

open wetlands

“primary” communities
natural communities . . .
Presettlement vegetation
map
(Comer et al., 1995)
based on surveyors records from the
1800s

supplemented by years of field work by
MNFI staff, historic literature and museum
records

a “best guess” – not infallible, but still very
useful

circa 1800 vegetation . . .
circa 1800 vegetation . . .
Northern coniferous forest
Eastern deciduous forest
circa 1800 vegetation . . .
northern hardwoods,
boreal forest, pine forests,
conifer swamps
northern hardwoods,
peatlands, alvar,
cedar swamps
cedar swamps
northern
hardwoods
pine barrens
pine forests
oak - pine
barrens
beech maple forests
oak hickory forests
savannas, prairies
natural communities . . .
Michigan’s natural communities:
abstracts . . .
Abstracts: natural communities,
plants and animals
element occurrences . . .
MNFI’s element occurrence
lists:
By county or watershed:
forest . . .
Mesic southern forest
Beech
Sugar maple
forest . . .
Mesic southern forest

occurs on moraines, old beach ridges*

rich, moist, well-drained soils

shade tolerant species (reproduce in shade)

abundant spring flora

vernal pools (29 amphibian spp., 8 reptile spp.)

“gap phase dynamics” in regeneration
small-scale wind storms, ice
storms, primary disturbance

* south of the tension zone
forest . . .
Mesic southern forest
Critical processes: Gap phase dynamics
• small canopy gaps create temporary
increase in light, nutrients and water
• allow regeneration of shade tolerant
maples
forest . . .
Dry-mesic southern forest
White oak
Beech
Sugar
Blackmaple
oak
forest . . .
Dry, dry-mesic southern forest
occurs principally on glacial outwash, coarsetextured moraines, sandy lakeplain & dunes

sandy loam and loam soils are slightly acid to
neutral

shade intolerant species – fire allows
regeneration of shade
intolerant oak/
reduces shade
tolerant invaders

forest . . .
Dry, dry-mesic southern forest
Critical processes: Fire-dependent
system
• historically, oak openings, barrens, prairie – shifting matrix
• maintained by frequent ground fires, infrequent crown fires
• suite of species, related communities that
benefit from fire
oak forests
oak savanna
dry sand prairie
forest . . .
Floodplain forest
Cottonwood
Sycamore
Silver maple
forest . . .
Floodplain forest
occurs next to large rivers, frequently in sandy
glacial outwash, sand lakeplain*

fertile, seasonally saturated soils – mineral at
water’s edge, may be organic in back swamp.


shade intolerant species along water’s edge

complex zonation
forest . . .
Floodplain forest
Critical processes:
•Flooding and windthrow frequent
• sunlight penetrates along water
•Bank-cutting on outer bank,
deposition on inner edge
forest . . .
Wet-mesic flatwoods
One of the most distinctive
communities in southern Michigan
is found on the clayey and
seasonally wet lake plain of Belle
Isle, located in the Detroit River,
Wayne County.
Beech
Forests there include a unique
community of the rare species
shumard oak, pumpkin ash and
shellbark hickory, together with
silver maple, red ash, pin and
swamp white oaks, and hawthorns.
BV Barnes, Michigan Trees, 2004
Sugar maple
forest . . .
Wet-mesic flatwoods

still being characterized – little known/little left
occurs on clay lakeplain or shallow sand over
clay

heavy, poorly drained soils, seasonally high
water table

moderately shade tolerant or shade intolerant
species – lots of oaks and ashes, silver maple

a number of more southern species
found here - several rarities still present

forest . . .
Wet-mesic flatwoods
Critical processes: wind throw,
seasonally high water table
• larger gaps permit persistence of
shade intolerant species
• seasonally high water
tables keep out sugar
maple, beech
grassland & savanna . . .
Lakeplain oak opening
Needlegrass
Little
bluestem
open wetlands . . .
Emergent marsh
open wetlands . . .
Emergent marsh
occurs in shallow waters at the edge of
inland lakes and streams


soils are saturated organic mucks

shade intolerant species
requires periodic flooding to exclude
invasion by woody plants

open wetlands . . .
Emergent marsh
Critical processes: Flooding and
drawdown
• flooding excludes woody invaders
• drawdown exposes seedbank, so that
light-sensitive annual seeds can
germinate
• wetland seed remains viable for
over 60 years
open wetlands . . .
Bog
open wetlands . . .
Bog
occurs in depressions in outwash, kettles in
end moraine or pitted outwash – may form mat
around perimeter of open water

soils are extremely acidic peat, may have
minerotrophic variants south of the transition
zone


low nutrient availability
can occur in complexes with prairie fen, relict
conifer swamp and poor conifer swamp

open wetlands . . .
Bog
Critical processes: Rainwater-fed
• minimal input from groundwater
• sphagnum acidifies water
primary community . . .
Limestone pavement lakeshore
primary community . . .
Limestone pavement lakeshore

occurs on bedrock

soils are undeveloped except in cracks
extremely harsh growing conditions, sparse
vegetation

primary community . . .
Open dunes
primary community . . .
Open dunes

deposited by wind

soils are pure sand (parent material)
shade intolerant species – adapted to
constantly shifting substrate (common
milkweed belongs here)

Internet resources . . .
We’ll be using:

Regional landscape ecosystems doc

Quaternary geology map

Circa 1800 map

Element occurrence data
Community
abstracts
planning . . .
How do we ensure the
conservation of a living organism?
protect the lands they need to
survive
manage ECOSYSTEMS
(interacting organisms and their environment)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
– connectivity (corridors for dispersal, feeding,
etc.)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
– connectivity (corridors for dispersal, feeding,
etc.)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
– connectivity (corridors for dispersal, feeding,
etc.)
– context (threats, adjacent land uses)
planning . . .
Conserve all the pieces and
processes
– representation (some of every ecosystem)
– redundancy (how much is enough?)
– resilience (ability to adapt to changing
conditions and stresses)
Consider
– size/shape/configuration on landscape
– connectivity (corridors for dispersal, feeding,
etc.)
– context (threats, adjacent land uses)
– condition (viable populations, functions intact)
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
Prairie fen
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
Flooding
Prairie fen
Fire
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Flooding
Prairie fen
Fire
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Fine filter (smaller patches):
– viable populations of vulnerable species
Yellow rail
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Fine filter (smaller patches):
– viable populations of vulnerable species
– capture things that fall through the cracks
Yellow rail
Lake sedge
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Fine filter (smaller patches):
– viable populations of vulnerable species
– capture things that fall through the cracks
Corridors
– link core areas and patches
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Fine filter (smaller patches):
– viable populations of vulnerable species
– capture things that fall through the cracks
Corridors
– link core areas and patches
– allows dispersal, migration, large ranging organisms
planning . . .
Coarse Filter/Fine Filter approach
Coarse filter (core areas):
– representative examples of all native and valued
community types
– allow or mimic natural disturbances
– captures many elements of biodiversity
Fine filter (smaller patches):
– viable populations of vulnerable species
– capture things that fall through the cracks
Corridors
– link core areas and patches
– allows dispersal, migration, large ranging organisms
Thoughtful management of the lands in between
– maximize biodiversity conservation, where possible
The Principles:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Goals – what are you managing for?
Sound ecological models and understanding
Complexity and connectedness
Dynamic character of ecosystems
Context and scale
Humans as ecosystem components
Sustainability (carrying capacity)
• Use best available information and implement
strategy
Learning is
• Adaptability and accountability fundamental to the
process!
– did it work?
know your land . . .
Questions?
ecosystem management . . .
What should we be doing?
Congratulations!!
You just got a paying
job to manage your
favorite natural area,
wild area, recreational
area, green way, park,
open space…
ecosystem management . . .
Ecosystem Management:
•
•
•
•
DEFINE YOUR GOALS!!!!
Ecosystem integrity and function
Long term sustainability (carrying capacity)
Biodiversity conservation (pieces and
connections)
• Sustaining the system = sustains those
things we desire
• Integrate social and economic factors
ecosystem management . . .
Sustainability
Economic
Social
Ecological
ecosystem management . . .
economic
ecological
social
Understanding
ecosystems helps us set
appropriate management
objectives.
composition (pieces)
structure
(organization)
function (how it
works)
Ecosystems have
limits!!
ecosystem management . . .
Sustainability
Economic
Redefine goals
if necessary.
Social
Ecological
Speak up
about
ecosystem
contstraints.
processes, functions, interactions . .
.
Not just biotic/abiotic components:
• interdependencies
that allow things we
value to thrive
Eastern prairie fringed
orchid
• mycorrhizae (root-fungi)
• flooding/fire dependent
• emit odor at night
Pandorus sphinx
(Eumorpha pansorus)
Photo by Dave Cuthrell, MNFI
Where does the moth
live?
The sum is greater than its
parts!
Ecosystem Management...
The Principles:
• Goals – what are you managing for?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sound science and understanding
Complexity and connectedness
Dynamic character of ecosystems
Context and scale
Humans as ecosystem components
Sustainability (carrying capacity)
• Best available information and implement strategy
• Adaptability: did it work?
Learning is
fundamental!
forest . . .
Dry, dry-mesic southern forest
White oak
Black oak
forest . . .
Dry, dry-mesic southern forest
occurs principally on glacial outwash, coarse-textured
moraines, sandy lakeplain & dunes


sandy loam and loam soils are slightly acid to neutral
shade intolerant species – fire allows regeneration of
shade intolerant oak/ reduces shade tolerant invaders

forest . . .
Dry, dry-mesic southern forest
Critical processes: Fire-dependent system
• historically, oak openings, barrens, prairie – shifting matrix
• maintained by frequent ground fires, infrequent crown fires
• suite of species, related communities that
benefit from fire
oak forests
oak savanna
dry sand prairie
Forrest B.H. Brown, 1917:
Probably the most obvious characteristic of the forest
vegetation as a whole is the extreme variety of species
composing many of the associations and the general
dissimilarity between it and the usual upland type lying
westward and mostly outside of the county.
One may clearly observe this transition in going from Ann
Arbor to Detroit. The change is abrupt and takes place a short
distance west of Ypsilanti or some twenty miles west of the
Detroit River, where the rolling morainal topography changes
to the level glacial lake basin of which Wayne County, except
the small northwest portion is a part.
ranking elements . . .
Global & State Ranks
G1 – globally critically imperiled
G2 – globally imperiled
G3 – vulnerable
G4 – apparently secure (uncommon, not rare)
G5 – demonstrably widespread, abundant and
secure
S1 – critically imperiled within the state
S2 – imperiled within the state
S3 – vulnerable
S4 – apparently secure (uncommon, not rare)
S5 – widespread, abundant and secure within
the state