High Pine Grasslands
Which of the following is not a characteristic of Florida's natural pine grasslands: a closed canopy, a floor of wiregrass, dependency on fire?
closed canopy
A fire that burns through litter or unergrowth
a surface fire or ground fire
an anchor for long leaf pines in storms
taproot
plant with narrow blades
Grass
animal that has a mutualistic relationship with pine trees and fungi that live in the ground in a high pine grassland
fox squirrel
another name for a high pine grassland.
forest, pine grassland, pine savannas (must give one of the above)
A fire that burns through the tops of trees
A crown fire
Historical range of long leaf pine forests in Florida
northern 2/3 of the state
All herbs other than grasses
Forbs
The only woodpecker that drills its cavity in a living native pine
red-cockaded woodpecker
The overstory of a forest
the canopy
a peat fire
True or False: Longleaf pines are tolerant of soil infertility, so they grow best in sandy soil.
True
When a tree yields a huge crop of seeds at intervals of several years
masting
Digs a burrow that serves as a home or haven to many other animals in its community
gopher tortoise
consists of trees and palms that grow beneath the canopy
understory or mid story
A tree that can withstand fire as a seedling
longleaf pine
True or False: Longleaf pines do not carry crown fires.
True
A species whose presence in an area signifies that a whole suite of other species is present along with it
indicator species
An organism in which an alga and a fungus cooperate so closely that neither can survive without the other.
a lichen
consists of grasses, other herbs, and shrubs that grow beneath the trees, the lowest level of greenery
the ground cover
List 3 ways that annual ground fires are benificail to a pine grassland community
Suppresses the growth of hardwoods, helps the community's plants reproduce, stimulates grass to release seeds, exposes the ground to sunlight, turns litter into fertilizer, removes diseased trees (any three of the above)
True or False: The longleaf pine grows quickly during the first year of life to get above the zone in which a surface fire could damage it.
False
A layer of water-impermeable substances below the surface of the soil
hardpan
A species that many other species depend on, so that its loss spells the loss of many others
keystone species