Forest Animals Questions

what are forest animal ecosystem roles (aka trophic levels) also list subcategories for each if any

herbivores - browsers and grazers

carnivores - scavengers

omnivores

decomposers

what are some examples of physical plant defenses

thorns/spines (black locust)

tough leaves (red oak)

what are some examples of chemical plant defenses

high osmotic pressure, secondary metabolites (e.g. caffeine, nicotine)

describe the relationship between available nitrogen and growht/defense (net assimilation rate, relative growth rate, and secondary metabolism)

net assimilation rate steadily increases and levels off highly with medium nitrogen

relative growth rate has a slow start and levels off midway

secondary metabolism is a bell curve

what type of animal role is common in tropical forests and why

pollination because of low wind

what pollination types are seen in temperate forests and where

most overstory trees are wind pollinated

understory trees are often insect-pollinated (e.g. heath family, rose family, dogwood)

what are the three key aspects of animal seed dispersal system

1. animal attracted to fruit/seed (sight, smell taste)

2. attractant must be carefully timed with seed maturation

3. enough seeds must escape predation to lead to successful establishment

how does seed caching lead to seed dispersal and establishment

many seeds stored by these animals are left uneaten and can germinate

what is the advantage of masting

an increase in the survival of seedlings into adulthood because animals collect and store more than needed, allowing more seeds to germinate

what is the primary dispersal agent of forest plants (and of long-distance dispersal)

birds!

what are the two main methods of bird dispersal

disgorging and excretions

birds don’t disperse what kinds of fruits

hitch-hiker fruits

describe the dispersal relationship between clarks nutcracker and whitebark/limber pine

one nutcracker can disperse 1225 seeds per day for 80 days

it results in whitebark growing in clumps, where multi-cached seeds germinated

what does the cone crop study of eastern redcedar tell us

very few seeds are actually available for germination

what animals are selective in their feeding and can regulate forest structure

grazing/browsing animals

what is probably the most common source of animal damage in Europe and NA

ungulate browsing

the white-tailed deer population in Easter NA is altered by what

logging of forest (habitat destruction - decline in popualtion) and secondary forest succession (growth in population)