Ecosystems+Project+(APP)

= = =Deciduous Forest Biome= toc Biomes are defined by the types pf plants, and the species of animals that live in them. They are also classified according to the amount of precipitation and their climate. A biome is a large geographical region that contains ecosystems with similar characteristics. They're are many different types of biomes in the world however in Canada there are 5 major terrestrial biomes.

One of these are deciduous biomes The deciduous biomes has species such as oak and maple, whose leaves change colours during autumn and they lose their leaves during the winter. The eastern half of North America(35-48 degrees N) has deciduous forest, they are also located in the middle of Europe, southwest of Russia, Japan and eastern China. The average temperature is around 10 degrees Celsius. The deciduous biome has four distinct season. In the winter it is cold and frosty, the spring is cool and breezy, the summer is hot and humid and the fall is cool and dry.The growing season is around 6 months. The amount of annual precipitation is about 30 to 60 inches. They are 5 different zones in this particular biome. The forest is the tree stratum zone which contains trees such as oak, maple, chestnut, hickory, elm and walnut, the trees in this zone are quite large and range in height from 60 to 100 feet. The second zone is the sapling a zone which has young short trees. The third zone is the shrub zone which contains shrubs such as azaleas, mountain laurel and huckleberries, the fourth zone is the herb zone which contains short plants and herbal plants. The final zone is the ground zone which contains various types of mosses.

There are many types of mammals that live in this biome such as deer, gray squirrels, mice, raccoons, and robins .Most of the animals eat nuts, and or acorns or they are omnivores or herbivores. Of course they're are a few species of carnivores such as the bobcat and mountain lion. The animals have learned to adapt to the climate by hibernating in the winter and living of the land in the other three seasons. If the animals do not hibernate then they migrate south. Although the trees provide shelter for the animals. They use the trees for food and water sources. There are many different species of plants and trees in this biome. The most common trees that are found are broad leafed deciduous trees and evergreen species, more commonly known as ash, lime, beech, birch and northern and southern arrowwood. There is also a large amount of wildflowers such as oxlip, bluebells and primrose. The soil in this biome is very rich because when the fall turns to winter and the leaves fall, the leaves are able to be decayed back into the soil. The reason why the leaves leave is because of the cool temperature. The leaves are not able to receive sunlight, therefore they do not receive chlorophyll. Therefore, the chlorophyll cannot provide the green colour for the leaves. That is why they change colours, but the plants in this biome have adapted by leaning towards the sun, so that they can stock up extra nutrients that might be needed in the winter months. In this biome the soil is fertile, many agricultural regions were found in this biome. However most of the forests have been clear-cutted for agriculture, this is one of the reasons why there are very few original forests that still exists. Most of the forests are second growth forests. =Algonquin Park= Algonquin Park was the first provincial park in Ontario. Human settlement was not very important, however aboriginal people would come to fish, hunt and pick berries. The aboriginal people would live in primitive camps, take the resources that they needed and when the spring came they went to the Ottawa River. Now in 2010 the park has made several changes and has around 6 million tourists each year. Also over the years the park has received unconditional devotion and worldwide fame. The Park has established more than 40 books, inspired paintings by Tom Thompson and The Group of Seven which are now on display in the AGO. Established in 1893, the park has expanded to twice its initial size(which was about 3 797 square kilometers). The original park ,consisted of 18 townships. Originally it was known as Algonquin National Park, but in 1913 the park's name was changed to Algonquin Provincial Park.

Since 1893 it's boundaries have been modified to include an additional 15 pieces of land. It protects a variety of natural, cultural and recreational opportunities. As being one of the largest provincial park(around 7 725 square kilometers, 12% of the area is water) it is the home to more than 1000 plant species and more than 200 vertebrates. Although to contrary belief, Algonquin is not apart of the taiga forest. Most of the forests in the south are deciduous and in the north temperate coniferous. Algonquin also has a large amount of insects. In a recent study of an area of a forest, researchers discovered 700 species of flies and more than 7 000 species of insects. That is a large amount considering that they're are around 300 species of birds and mammals. Algonquin Park is also widely known for the fact that you can see many different species of large mammals such as deer, beaver, black bear and moose. The climate in Algonquin varies. In the springtime it is expected to be cool and wet, the summertime very unpredictable the temperate varying from 16 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees. = = = = =Human Impact= In Algonquin, there are many forests. Deciduous and temperate coniferous are the main forests. However, with the human population growing and the demand for more buildings, Algonquin is having a problem with logging. Logging is a very common and well known issue. Humans are notorious for taking lush, green and healthy forests, and cutting them down completely just so they can build another building. Firstly almost two thirds of the park is open to logging. 529 723 ha out of 760 674 is used for recreational purposes. 97% of the logging in Algonquin is done by certain logging methods. Clear cutting is occurs on 3% of the area and an average of 11 000 hectares are logged each year in the park. In the past 5 years humans have logged 7.5% of the park. If we continue logging this aggressively, eventually they're will be nothing left of this wonderful park. Although with all this logging being done, they're has to be people who do this for a living. Approximately 400 woodworkers are employed in logging and 1 800 people are employed in the mills utilizing the wood from the Park.

If there were to reduce the amount of logging each year, some people would lose their jobs, but they are already so many people who have lost their jobs and been replaced by machines in my opinion this wouldn't be much different and this is an issue that needs to be acted upon. However majority of the logging in Algonquin, is selective logging. Selective logging removes most of the profitable trees, which changes the structure of the forest which diminishes the biodiversity in the forest.This also alters the food chain and therefore for example if there was a species of animal that lived in a certain shrub, and this shrub was not replanted, the animal would have no habitat. Also only replanting the high value species in the forest also changes the ecosystem, it also diminishes the rich soil. This can also increase the amount of gas emissions in the air by 25%. Selective logging cause twice the damage to an ecosystem, as oppose to regular logging. Selective logging also causes an increase in sunlight that the forest receives which can damage soil organisms, that are crucial for decomposition and nutrient fixing. With all this extra sunlight, this can dry up dead leaves making Algonquin more vulnerable to forest fires.

By clear cutting forest this causes habitat change, habitat fragmentation and erosion which could lead to sediment pollution because, when a vast portion of land is bare there are no plants to absorb the excess water, therefore the roots cannot take in nitrogen(from the decomposers). Also, photosynthesis and respiration cannot occur, in the forest.When a forest is clear cut, the animals who live in the forest, will have to adapt to another habitat or die. Another thing, that causes disturbance to Algonquin is roads. There are more than 5 400 kilometers of road in Algonquin and they have negative consequences, road networks cause disruption of prey/predator relationships, increases pollution, noise and dust. Another things that humans use to help them log the forests are "alligators". Forest alligators are steamed powered machines that are used to move logs across lakes. They were constructed out of wood and steel and these are also a threat because the more advanced ones cause pollution and the oil could leak out and into some of the Algonquin lakes.

=What were doing to help= The province of Ontario, is aware that logging is a very big issue. Although, the province has announced its intention to increase protection of Algonquin, they still have to go through a few more processes. They have come up with the park management plan amendment.This plan must be amended in order to increase the protection. Also, Algonquin has a forest management plan that dictates how the forests can be logged. So the proposal for the plan is as follows. The proposal supposedly is to increase the protection by 27%. The current protection is 22%, so therefore they would like 49% of the park to be protected. They are trying to increase the amount where there is a lot of logging done, for example recreation zones. Now a days, with all of this high technology it doesn't take very long to completely cut down a forest, but can't this be done in a more humane way? Well there is something called sustainable logging. Sustainable logging is when companies leave young and medium aged trees, left and they just cut down the old trees so, after they can log more if it is necessary. This would be better, because if you clear cut there is a forest regulation that once you have clear cut a forest, you must wait 35 years in order to log again in that specific location. Another way that we could reduce logging impact is by directing the tree in which way to fall to ensure the smallest amount of impact to the surrounding trees in the forest. Also by improving technology, to reduce damaged soil cause by log extraction. What we could also do is reduce wood waste for cut areas because 25-50% of the wood from a cleared forest is wasted. These suggestions can diminish damage, cut erosion of top soil, and allow faster recovery time for the forest, it can also reduce the risk of forest fires. Well, you're probably thinking if it is that easy than why aren't we using these techniques. There are several reasons why. Firstly the management expenses are much higher, there is more planning required and it reduces income. This is why companies are still clear cutting forests. Another way to help out the Algonquin forests would be to re plant trees. Replanting trees has many benefits for a forest like managing runofff, the leaves on the tree absorb the rainfall so there is less runoff and little erosion to pollute the streams in Algonquin. They also reduce carbon, because trees use carbon to build up mass, it also reduces the ecological footprint.

=Conclusion= In conclusion, they are communities who care deeply about the longevity and prosperity of Algonquin Park. It would be such as shame, if we would not be able to share this wonderful park, filled with cultural, historical and recreational opportunities with future generations. Also, if we were to completely destroy Algonquin Park, who's fault would it really be? Us as humans, we are truly the ones to blame. So I feel that since we are risking the health of Algonquin Park, I think that we should be the one's who fix it. Although they are groups of communities who aren't going down without a fight and wont stop until there is more protection for this park. Also during my research I learned that Algonquin Park has a lot more history and cultural and artistic roots than I expected it to have. For example I was not aware that Tom Thompson had created famous paintings inspired by Algonquin Park. I was also not aware that Algonquin Park is known worldwide. At the begging of this project, I assumed that Algonquin Park, was just a very large camp site and you could see bears at night. Now, I have realized that it is much more than that. This is a place where not only you can gather with fellow campers, but it was a place where aboriginal people had rested, a place where famous painter Tom Thompson allegedly passed away, and so much more.It defines Ontario. It has been here for more than a century and hopefully it will still be here in 50 years from now. By: Maria Kalsatos =Sources= [] [] [] [] [] [] Investigating Science Grade 9 textbook

Photos: [|A Painting of Algonquin Park] [|Map of Deciduous Forest Biome] [|A Clear Cut Forest] [|Who knew that this little sprout could save the planet?]