The Natural Vegetation of the Earth

The Ecology of Vegetation

1. Plant communities
Ecosystem

- which is a set of biotic and abiotic elements so related that together they form a complex whole. community - is an assemblage of plant species in an area, existing in a systematic interaction with one another and with the animal life in the area.

Plant

- Objective of Ecology Is the study of life communities and their interrelationships with one another and with the other components of the abiotic environment

- Plant species in a community or plant association do not usually compete for energy and moisture because each species has its own special niche or level in the community with its own energy and moisture requirements.

examples: Low shrubs and herbs mosses

 Steady

state or stable ecosystem - in the process of arriving this state, should two species compete for essential sustenance in the same niche in a plant community.

2.

Biotic succession

- Are specifically called plant succession - Is a gradual sequence of changes of phases in biotic communities in a certain area over a period of time, even if climate remains unchanged.

- One plant community appears and

then gives way to another until a series of replacements a stable community predominates and there is no further alternation in its composition

 Pioneer

community - a plant community

(grass) that started the succession which is able to colonize and inhabit a bare surface
Climax

community

- the end product in the succession (oakyhickory forest) - Most complex type of community which a particular natural environment will support

- Stable and able to maintain itself over

a long period of time - It is also the efficient user of solar energy and soil nutrients in the area

The general trend in plant succession

Taller plants More density Greater stability

Two (2) kinds of vegetative succession

Primary succession- occurs in places

that have not previously supported life

Secondary succession - Takes place on areas where the original climax vegetation has been destroyed or disturbed but where the soil has been retained

3. Formation types

- Another way of describing plant communities over the earths surface is to characterize them in terms of the form elements of their assemblage

The classification elements

a. Plant type - such as trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses b. Size such as tall or short trees and grasses c. Leaf shape such as broadleaf or needle leaf d. Branching character such as highbranching (like many trees) or low- branching (like shrubs)

e. Leaf behavior such as evergreen (with leaves throughout the year) or deciduous (with leaves falling off during dry period) f. Horizontal density such as closely spaced or widely spaced g. Vertical alignment such as canopy- producing tree crowns, or a second- story growth below the tree crown, or undergrowth (on the ground)

Factors Affecting the Distribution of Vegetation

1.Climatic factors - Is the most important environmental element influencing the distribution of plant communities over the earths surface

Precipitation moisture is again

the most important influence in the distributed of vegetation

The three great formations of natural vegetation Forests Grassland Desert

- Copious rainfall often gives rise to forests - Moderate rainfall or summer season rainfall to grassland - Scanty rainfall to desert plants

 Osmosis

a process where water is taken is mainly by plants at the roots

temperature and low humidity favor rapid loss of plant moisture temperature and high humidity inhibit its loss

High

Low

Xerophytes (Greek xeros = dry, phytos = plant)

Plants that is structurally adapted to very limited moisture budgets
-

Hydrophytes ( Greek hydro = water)

Vegetation that are adapted to very humid environmental and have rarely any defense against evaporation and moisture insufficiency
-

Mesophytes plant types that have intermediate needs and tolerances for water Halophytes (Greek halos = salt) - Plants that have adapted to salty water conditions, such as beach and mangrove vegetation

Temperature

ranks next to precipitation in importance as an influencing factor in vegetative growth

-

Three (3) critical temperatures

1. Minimum or lower temperature below which it will die 2. Maximum or upper temperature above which it will likely wilt or die 3. Optimum temperature at which it thrives best

Species that survived prolonged low temperatures periods through seed carryover Annuals complete their life cycle during warm season and their vegetative structure perishes completely during the cold season Biennials species that need more than one year to complete their cycle

Perennials survive through contrasting

temperature regimes year after year
Temperature fall below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year - All of the above plants cannot survived

Solar energy plays a major role in the

regulation of the life cycle of plants

2. Topographic factors (landform) - Specifically in terms of elevation and slope, also affect the growth and distribution of plant communities

3. Edaphic factors (soil)

- Do not have much influence as climate in influencing regional plant distribution but they may be significant locally

4. Biotic factors - Lower forms of organisms have a profound and pervasive effect on vegetative communities