wetland final

Why are underground storage organs critical for wetland plants during anaerobic conditions?

They store glucose, allowing plants to perform glycolysis for energy in the absence of oxygen.

What is the ultimate reason plants die in flooded conditions?

They do not get enough oxygen to produce sufficient energy.

Why is it difficult for most plants to acquire water in salt water? How do halophytes cope?

Salt water has a higher solute concentration, preventing water from entering; halophytes increase internal salt concentrations to facilitate water uptake.

How do species coexist if single-limiting resource experiments show competitive exclusion?

Ecosystems have multiple limiting resources, allowing species to tolerate lower levels of different resources.

Describe a simple manipulation experiment to test if herbivores are damaging Typha in a wetland.

Section off an undisturbed area of Typha to prevent herbivores from accessing it and observe plant recovery.

Why don’t all plant species produce all known chemical defenses against herbivores?

Chemical defenses are likely ancestral, and plants need specific genes to express them.

What is one reason mowing wetlands in Europe increases plant diversity?

Mowing reduces competition and allows a variety of species to thrive.

How is an organism’s realized niche similar to and different from its fundamental niche?

Realized niches include biotic factors like competition, while fundamental niches focus on abiotic factors only.

How can you test if competition plays a role in the formation of plant zones in a wetland?

Isolate plants from each other and plant them in unfamiliar zones to observe growth.

Compare aerobic respiration to anaerobic metabolism regarding flooding. What are the negative impacts?

Anaerobic metabolism is less efficient than aerobic respiration, producing less energy and harmful byproducts like lactic acid.

Describe three ecosystem services provided by wetlands.

Water filtration, nutrient cycling, and habitat provision for wildlife.

Why is light competition an example of asymmetric competition?

Light competition is asymmetric because some species are more effective competitors due to height and growth rate.

What are the main differences in views of biological communities by Clements and Gleason?

Clements viewed communities as interconnected super-organisms, while Gleason saw them as independent, shaped by competition.

If saltwater is harsh for plants, why do some thrive in salt marshes?

Plants in salt marshes are adapted to stress rather than competition.

Why are wetlands considered habitats with high biodiversity despite some species dominance?

Wetlands experience diverse disturbances which promote biodiversity, but human impact threatens this diversity.

Are chemical or morphological defenses more common in wetland plants? Why?

Chemical defenses are more common due to higher competition and herbivory from small animals.

What would the climax community be for wetlands and examples of succession?

The climax community would likely be large trees; peatlands show more signs of succession.

Define wetland restoration, rehabilitation, and transformation with examples.

Restoration returns degraded habitats to their natural state, rehabilitation improves biodiversity in disturbed areas, and transformation changes land use from one type to another.

What were the objectives of the Nahlik and Fennessy 2016 paper?

To quantify North American carbon stock and density to inform climate management.

What were the main findings regarding carbon storage in different regions?

Midwest and upper east coast held the most carbon; tidal saline wetlands had greater carbon uniformity compared to inland wetlands.

Discuss the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on wetland carbon storage.

Disturbances like agriculture and suburban development negatively impact carbon sequestration and overall ecosystem health.