Lab 4 Plants and Climate

University of Guelph Department of Geography GEOG*1300 - Introduction to the Biophysical Environment Fall 2023 LABORATORY EXERCISE 4 – TREES AND ROCKS AND WATER In this lab you will look at some really basic associations between the distribution of plants and animals and the climates in which they are situated. Because we are all Canadians of some flavour I encourage you to talk about the weather with your classmates. And because I am Canadian and old I encourage you to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1KvYBldhyL8 Due Date: Before your next regularly assigned lab session . If I’m reading the calendar properly this is one week from when you are reading this . Your TAs have their own deadlines so be kind to them . Late submissions will be penalized at a rate of 10 percent of the value of the assignment per day. All assignments must be submitted through CourseLink. Extensions may be available upon appropriate advance request. As always, I encourage you to work collectively to solve technical challenges, to discuss ideas, and to edit prose – but ultimately the work you submit (including graphs, math, and wording) must be your own work. It’s OK to show someone how to make a graph – it’s not OK to email them yours to include in their lab. Procedures. All answers can be completed on the worksheet that follows these instructions. I encourage you to save your final submission as a PDF to make sure that the formatting looks like what you think it will look like! (c.f. Mandy Patinkin in the Princess Bride) PART A : Maple Maple is an iconic Canadian species, but we have at least five naturalized species in Ontario: The following questions relate to them, and will require you to do a bit of outside research. 1. List the five most common species of Maple that are found in Ontario [2,5 Marks] Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum), Striped Maple (Acer pensylvanicum), Norway Maple (Acer platanoides) 1

2. Based on your reading of the Silvics (see here: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/table_of_contents.htm ) what are the important differences in environmental tolerances between those species? [5 Marks] 3. What is one easy way to tell the difference between Sugar maple ( Acer saccharum ) and Norway maple ( Acer platanoides ). Spoiler alert: they are both common in Guelph and they look very similar [1.5 Marks] One easy way to distinguish between Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and Norway maple (Acer platanoides) is by examining the leaves and their arrangement: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum):  Sugar maple leaves typically have three to five lobes with serrated edges.  The leaves of a sugar maple are arranged in an opposite pattern on the twig, meaning that pairs of leaves emerge directly across from each other on the twig.  Sugar maple leaves turn vibrant shades of red, orange, or yellow in the fall. Norway Maple (Acer platanoides):  Norway maple leaves also have multiple lobes, usually five, but they can have as few as three.  The leaves of the Norway maple are arranged in an alternate pattern on the twig, meaning that leaves emerge in an alternating pattern along the twig, not directly across from each other.  Norway maple leaves often turn yellow but may not display the same range of red and orange colors as sugar maple leaves in the fall. Additionally, you can also look at the seeds or samaras of the two species. Norway maple samaras typically hang down in pairs, while sugar maple samaras are V-shaped and hang at a wider angle. These leaf and arrangement differences are reliable characteristics for distinguishing between Sugar maple and Norway maple. 4. Describe one advantage of deciduousness versus evergreenness in Eastern North America (see here for some major clues: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3858181 ) [2 Marks] 2