Temporal dynamics

18 important questions on Temporal dynamics

What are some expamples of legacies climate wise?

Redwoods (left over form previous warmer moist climate)
Post-glacial migration (many species are still migrating poleward)

What are some examples of legacies soils wise?

Agricultural abondonment
Methane flux from Siberian lakes (source is pleistocene SOM)

What is ecosystem resistance?

Tendency not to change
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What is recovery, regarding ecosystem change?

Extent of return to original state

What are the properties of a disturbance regime?

Severity
Intensity
Frequency
Type
Size
Pattern
Timing

What is severity (disturbance regime)

Magnitude of change (relative to normal functioning of a particular ecosystem )

What is Intensity (disturbance regime)

Energy released per unit of area and time (wind, fire)

What is frequency (disturbance regime)

Occurence (relative to normal functioning of a particular ecossystem, fire frequency)

What is size (disturbance regime)

Variable (e.g. Gaps or whole stands)

What is pattern (disturbance regime)

Interconnection of disturbed areas (affects recovery)

What is Timing (disturbance regime)

Occurence related to timing of other processes (freezing before or after formation of young shoots)

What scale of ecosystem variation is explained with succesion?

Succesion explain much of the local variation amongst ecosystems

climate and topography moreso explain regional patterns

What is the difference between the kinds of succesion?

Primary succession is the starting point is no sign of previous life.
secondary succession: many of the initial colonisers are already present right after disturbance

How does the NPP change over time during primary succession?

1. Starts with low NPP and low decomposition
The presence of N fixing plants or other sources of N determine the biomass production

2. Forest productivity often the highest mid-succession

3. Forest productivity declines followingn canopy closure (maximum LAI)

What are possible explanations for the decrease of productivity following canopy closure?

Decreased hydraulic conductance
Decreased nutrient availability

How is the GPP divided between NPP and plant respiration?

About 50/50

Can you temporally scale the observation by multiplicatoin from hours to days for instance?

No doesnt account for temporal variation in driving forces

What is the effect of primary and secondary succession on nutrient cycling?

Early primary succesion largely driven by N dynamics
(N accumulation of 3 to 16 g N m^-2 y^-1 for 50 to 100 years

During early secondary succession a pulse of nutrient availability , which fate depends on retention mechanisms
- plant uptake
- microbial uptake
- adsorption to minerals

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