6–10 Describe characteristics of trees and the interaction of trees with other living things in the local environment.
1. Identify reasons why trees and forests are valued.
Trees are important because they:
2. Describe kinds of plants and animals found living on, under and among trees; and identify how trees affect and are affected by those living things.
1. Identify reasons why trees and forests are valued.
Trees are important because they:
- Provide us with useful products
- Produce oxygen
- Control erosion
- Enrich the soil
- Provide food, homes and shelter for wildlife
- Protect us from the sun’s heat and strong cold winds
- Act as a sound barrier
- Add beauty and enjoyment to our lives
2. Describe kinds of plants and animals found living on, under and among trees; and identify how trees affect and are affected by those living things.
- The ecosystem is made up of living and non-living things:
- Non- living elements to the ecosystem are those that have never been alive. Ex. Water, rocks, sunlight
- Living organisms can be broken into three different categories.
- Consumers – Organisms which feed on other plants and animals. Includes
1. Herbivores (plant eaters)
2. Carnivores (meat eaters)
3. Omnivores (eats both plants and animals)
- Decomposers – Organisms which break down dead material and litter, and release the nutrients back into the soil.
Includes Fungi, bacteria, earthworms, mites, molds, ants, maggots etc.
- In a food chain consumers can be labeled Primary (first consumer who eats the producer) secondary (2nd) tertiary (3rd)
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/7/1/14718762/1441585649.png)
Levels of the Forest
- Upper Canopy – the is the top level of the forest formed by leaves and branches of the tallest trees. Up to 35 % of precipitation falling on a forest is intercepted by the canopy. Different birds and insects make their home here.
- Middle level or Understory – This is home to smaller tress and larger shrubs. It provides a sheltered space for birds and small mammals to travel. Many insects, lichen, squirrels, and birds can be found here.
- Herb, Underbrush, or Shrubbery Layer – Ferns, wildflowers and other soft stem plants, tree seedlings, butterflies, dragonflies, mice, weasels, deer etc find their food in this layer.
Forest Floor – This level includes the ground cover and the soil. The ground cover includes leaf litter, mushrooms, insects, salamanders, toads, moss, and flowers. The soil is the storehouse for growth. There is a thin layer of organic and mineral materials covering bedrock. Worms, bacteria, soil insects, tree roots, spiders, millipedes and centipedes are found here.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/7/1/14718762/492829900.jpg)
3. Describe the role of trees in nutrient cycles and in the production of oxygen.
1. Nutrients in the soil are absorbed by the tree roots.
2. Nutrients are absorbed by tree and plant roots
3. The nutrients travel up the trunk and into the leaves.
4. Leaves fall to the ground or are eaten by the consumers (ie: a deer).
5. Decomposers break down dead plant or animal mater and return the nutrients to the soil where the cycle begins again.
![Picture](/uploads/1/4/7/1/14718762/498050265.gif?311)
The word photosynthesis comes from the work photo which means light and synthesis which means putting together. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants create their own food. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and water and minerals from the ground. Energy from the sun is trapped by chlorophyll and this energy is used to combine Carbon Dioxide and water to form sugars.
Carbon Dioxide + water + sunlight = Sugar (energy) + Oxygen
4. Identify general characteristics that distinguish trees from other plants, and characteristics that distinguish deciduous from coniferous trees.
What makes a tree a tree?
- It must be perennial
- It must have a self supporting trunk
- The trunk must be made of a woody material
Deciduous or Coniferous
Deciduous trees are usually broad-leafed. They produce either flowers or fruit depending on the tree. Their leaves are flat, green blades and are attached to a branch by a slender stalk called a petiole. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the autumn.
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Coniferous trees are known as conifers or cone bearing trees. They have needle-shaped leaves which can be long, narrow, small or scale like. Needles are green all year round except for the tamarack. They produce cones which contain seeds.
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5. Identify characteristics of at least four trees found in the local environment here in Calgary, AB.
- Know at least two deciduous trees and two coniferous trees.
- Examples could include spruce, birch, poplar, pine, elm and crab apple trees.
6. Describe and classify leaf shapes, leaf arrangements, branching patterns and the overall form of a tree.
The parts of a tree are:
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7. Interpret the growth pattern of a young tree, distinguishing this year’s growth from that of the previous year and from the year before that.
Growth patterns are effected by the conditions around the trees. Large even growth rings are the result of good water and nutrient availability along with good weather. Narrow close together rings indicate a lack of water. Scars may indicate the lost of a branch, fire, or insect attack. |
8. Identify human uses of forests, and compare modern and historical patterns of use. Identify human actions that enhance or threaten the existence of forests.
9. Identify an issue regarding forest use, identify different perspectives on that issue, and identify actions that might be taken.
- Forests serve as habitat for a variety of living things
- They are important to human needs for recreation (camping, hiking, skiing, golfing etc..)
- Parks & tourism (Banff National Park etc..)
- Building materials (wood for homes and buildings, bridges etc)
- Pulp and paper products (cardboard, paper etc..)
- Jobs: forest research, logging, tree planting, tourism
9. Identify an issue regarding forest use, identify different perspectives on that issue, and identify actions that might be taken.