Coastal coniferous forests and freshwater marsh

Flashcards reviewing key aspects of coastal coniferous forests, redwood forests, and freshwater marshes, including their characteristics, ecology, and dominant species.

Coastal coniferous forests

Dominated by species of conifers (gymnosperms) and occupy a narrow, discontinuous band along the immediate coast from San Luis Obispo County north to Oregon.

North coast coniferous forest

A type of Pacific temperate rain forest that occurs in the Pacific Northwest, found in drier areas in California, with summer drought moderated by coastal fog. Occurs on terraces and lower slopes of the Coast Ranges and Klamath Mountains, forming a mosaic with coastal prairies, coastal scrub, redwood forests, and closed-cone coniferous forests near the coast.

Grand fir (Abies grandis)

a species valued for its wood, potentially the tallest fir.

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis)

can grow to 330 ft (100 m) tall, and is the fifth-largest conifer in the world.

Western redcedar (Thuja plicata)

grows to 230 ft (70 m) tall and can live > 1,000 years.

Redwood forest

Forms a uniform plant community in cooler coastal areas, limited to foggy areas, and heavily shapes the understory environment.

Ecological disturbances in Redwood forests

Deposit silt during winter floods, which redwoods tolerate, while fire is rare but increasingly frequent, with thick bark resistant to low- or medium-intensity fires.

Fire in Redwood forests

Required to recruit redwood seedlings by removing thick leaf litter and understory plants; suppression leads to domination by tan oak, bay, maple, and madrone, increasing fire intensity.

Redwood forest logging

Readily stump-sprout after being cut, regenerating the forest but altering its structure; only ca. 5% is old growth.

Douglas-fir, (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

grows to 330 ft (100 m) tall and is the 4th tallest tree.

Freshwater Marsh

Characterized by areas of standing or slow-moving water, including margins of lakes, creeks, sloughs, or deltas.

Freshwater Marsh in the Great Central Valley

Once had extensive marshes in the Great Central Valley, but much has been drained and converted to farmland. Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi but dried up in 1899 due to water diversion.

Flora of Freshwater Marsh

monocots such as Cattails (Typha), Bulrushes and sedges (Cyperaceae), and Rushes (Juncaceae); species quickly propagate vegetatively.