Yosemite National park

Shasta National Forest: Biotic Communities and Disturbance Regime

Shasta National Forest's Biotic Communities Western North America Alpine Tundra Conditions Western North America Alpine Tundra (WNA Alpine Tundra) ecosystems are found on mountain ranges along the west coast of North America, including the mid-elevations on Mount Shasta (Billings & Meidinger 2015). This ecosystem is characterized by short growing seasons and long winters with high snowpack. Soils in this ecosystem tend to be shallow, rocky, low in organics, and well drained (Billings & Meidinger 2015) . Plant Communities Plants commonly found in the WNA Alpine Tundra ecosystem on Mount Shasta include wildflowers in the genus Eriogonum , like Sulphur Buckwheat ( Eriogonum umbellatum ), and some trees at lower elevations such as Lodgepole Pine ( Pinus contorta ) (Billings & Meidinger 2015; Anderson 2003; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) & United States Forest Service (USFS) 2016; USDA & USFS 2014) . Sulphur Buckwheat. Source . Sulphur B...

Alabama

Physical Environment Alabama is the fifth most biodiverse state in the US, ranking first among states east of the Mississippi River (Stein 2002). Alabama contains six distinct Level III Ecoregions which are further divided into more specific Level IV Ecoregions; some of these are illustrated in Figure 1 below. I selected the following three locations based on their spatial distribution and their representation of three distinct ecoregions: Red Mountain, Old Cahawba Prairie, and Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) (Figure 1). Figure 1. Map showing three selected locations within Alabama and their corresponding Level III and Level IV Ecoregions. Data source. Climate Overall, Alabama has a humid subtropical climate type. Between my three selected locations, climate does not vary drastically. One notable difference is in mean precipitation of Bon Secour NWR, which has drier periods in the spring and fall relative to wetter winters and very...

Japan

Part 1: Soils and the Physical Environment Japan is an incredibly ecologically diverse nation. Thus, I wanted to choose three regions that really highlight the variation of soils, climate, and landforms in the region. My three regions are the Akan-Mashu National Park, the Yakushima National Park, as well as Mikawa Bay and the surrounding area. Below is a map illustrating my three research regions, each labelled with a purple symbol. Due to some issues with translation, it has been difficult to discern the exact composition of the soils in my selected regions. I will give the soil classification as it is listed on the Japanese NARO (National Agriculture Research Organization) website, as well as describe the content of the soil. The soil compromising the majority of the Akan-Mashu National Park is listed as "ordinary volcanic emission soil" and is given a classification of J1z1. This soil is characterized as having a high level of volcanic ash and other debris from volcanic...

GEOG 3318 Project: Biogeographic Pattern

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