Environmental Science Fireside 2014 Learning Goals Students will identify 10 species of native conifers in the lab and in the field Students will use a dichotomous key The Value of Trees Wildlife ID: 596618
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Slide1
Coniferous Trees
Environmental ScienceFireside 2014Slide2
Learning Goals
Students will identify 10 species of native conifers in the lab and in the fieldStudents will use a dichotomous keySlide3
The Value of Trees
Wildlife:
FOOD (nuts & other fruit, twigs, buds roots, wood in living or dead trees)
SHELTER (cover for deer & moose, roosts for birds/squirrels, weasels, or fallen logs for salamanders, mice, martens)
PATHWAYS (tunnels left from decayed root canals are used by rodents, amphibians, and reptiles are used to transport and store food)
SUBSTRATES (nesting, perching for hunting & singing)
SUPPORT (lichens, mosses, epiphytic/aerial or parasitic plants & vines) Slide4
The Value of Trees
The Ecosystem:
The capture, storage, & slow release of nutrients in trunks, leaves, roots
A key role in the carbon cycle, water cycle, and nitrogen cycle (thus influencing climate and soil fertility)
Sinks for excess atmospheric carbon (if unburned)
Regulators of runoff from precipitation (reduce impact of rain on the land & act like sponges to release water slowly/prevent erosion)
Air cleaners (produce O2 and capture CO2 in their wood)Slide5
Carbon CycleSlide6
Water CycleSlide7
Nitrogen CycleSlide8
The Value of Trees
People:
Fuel (wood and charcoal)
Lumber, Paper, Cork, latex, rubber, cellophane & rayon
Essential oils (for aromatherapy and perfumery)
Spices (bay leaves, cloves, all spice, cinnamon)
Oil and syrupFodder for domestic animalsResins & gums used in turpentine, lacquer, paint, polishesMethyl alcohol (wood alcohol) used to make degreasing compounds, silicone, formaldehyde, aerosol propellants & paint removers
Medicines (
eg
. Pacific Yew for cancer treatments,
Ginko
for circulatory disorders)Slide9
What Are Conifers?
Trees and shrubs in the Class Coniferinae
50 Genera and 550 species in the world today
Dominate landscapes in colder & drier climates (Boreal Forests of Canada, Northern Europe, and Siberia)
Largest and Oldest living things in the world (Bristlecone Pine –
Pinus
Longaeva is 4 700 years old and growing in the US)Characterized by needle-like leaves with many drought-resistant features and cones
Have flowers! (separate flowers for male and female)
Leaves are evergreen in almost all species (except for larches and a few other groups)Slide10
How To Identify Conifers
Use a DICHOTOMOUS KEY…
But not this one