The Virtual Field:

Ecosystem Exploration

Find Evidence

Black Rock Forest

Chestnut Oak Forest

For more videos in this series visit

Ecosystem Exploration – The Virtual Field

​

Organization of Biological Field Stations

Explore the ecosystems of the earth.

Take a field trip to field stations and marine laboratories around the world. These are places where researchers study natural processes and how humans interact with the landscape. Each video is filmed by staff or researchers who take you on a guided, but unnarrated, tour of an ecosystem.

​

​

As you walk with them, search for evidence of the processes that shaped these ecosystems.

If you have difficulty with these questions, hone your skills first with the “Write Field Notes”, “Sketch What You See” and “Ask Questions” field trips at Ecosystem Exploration – The Virtual Field

​

​

​

Black Rock Forest Chestnut Oak Forest (click for video)

Exploration of ecology and formative processes of a Chestnut Oak Forest

Blurry video?

See viewing tips posted next to each video link on the website.

Chestnut Oak Forest

In this video, we explore factors affecting the appearance of a Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus) forest. Forests can vary in density, height, amount of woody debris, leaf litter and many other characteristics. These differences result from a variety of factors, such as herbivore abundance, fire history, disease, soil composition, climate, topography, and land use history.

Reproduction & Recruitment: Chestnut oaks reproduce by dropping acorns. The acorns germinate in moist soil and grow into young saplings. At timestamp 1:10, you can see the droppings of a Whitetail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) which browse on acorns, seedlings, leaves and branches of Chestnut Oaks.

​

1

​

Reproduction and Recruitment

​

What evidence can you find of the impacts of Whitetail Deer on the recruitment and growth of young Chestnut Oaks? Describe how this forest might look without deer.

1a

Fire Adaptations: Many species have developed adaptations for living in ecosystems where there is frequent fire. Some tree species have evolved thicker bark that is resistant to burning and protects living tissues of the tree that transport water and nutrients.

​

2

​

Fire Adaptations

​

2a

Compare the bark of a Chestnut Oak (1:46) with another tree in the understory at 2:30 (Shadbush, Amelanchier arborea). Which tree do you think is more fire-resistant and why?

Forest Regeneration: Forest regeneration is the process by which a forest becomes re-established after a disturbance. When an area is logged, some trees are able to send out multiple sprouts from their roots. These so-called "sprout hardwoods" eventually develop into a tree with multiple trunks. The occurrence of multi-stemmed trees can be evidence of historic logging disturbances.

​

3

​

Forest Regeneration

​

3a

At timestamp 2:44, you can see a multi-stemmed tree. How you can tell the difference between multiple trees and one tree with multiple stems?

​

Forest Regeneration

​

How many multi-stemmed Chestnut Oak trees can you find in this video? List the timestamps and how many trunks they have.

​

3b

​

Forest Regeneration

​

Other factors, such as browsing or fire, can also create multi-stemmed trees. If the leading stem is damaged when the tree is very young, lateral branches start growing upward from the ground. Given the patchy distribution of multi-stemmed trees at this site, what can you say about the intensity and distribution of the following three possible disturbances?

3c

Soil Depth & Structure: Soil is composed of small pieces of broken rock, decaying plants (called organic matter) and a diverse community of tiny organisms. The depth, texture and structure of soils affect which plants can grow and how they grow.

​

Shallow soils (defined as soils less than 20 inches [50 cm] deep) provide limited water

4

and nutrients. Particularly detrimental are the low levels of organic matter. Organic matter - which makes soils dark in coloration - is a reservoir of nutrients and has an exceptional ability to hold and release water for plants. In shallow soils with limited organic matter, plants can be stunted in growth.

​

​

Soil Depth & Structure

​

4a

At timestamp 3:09, you see a plug of earth that has been dug up so that we can take a look at the soil profile. Describe the soil, including a description of the color and depth of each layer.

​

​

Soil Depth & Structure

​

4b

What effect do you think the soils may be having on the stature of the Chestnut oak trees?

​

Disease: Smooth Patch Fungus (Aleurodiscus wakefieldiae) is native to this region and affects a wide variety of hardwood trees, including Chestnut Oaks. The fungus decays the outer layer of bark but does not harm living cells underneath (the cambium layer). Evidence for the disease is a lack of outer bark, revealing a smoother and lighter colored inner bark. Patches of the fungus can vary from a few inches to a foot or more in diameter.

​

5

​

Disease

​

5a

At timestamp 4:12, describe the evidence you see for Smooth Patch Fungus on Chestnut oak trees. What percentage of trees at 4:12 are affected by Smooth Patch Fungus? (Count the number of trees with evidence of Smooth Patch Fungus and divide by the total number of oaks you see).

​

​

Disease

​

5b

Although early research results have shown that Smooth Patch Fungus has no short-term negative impacts on Chestnut oak tree growth, in what ways might the disease make the trees vulnerable in the long-term?

​

Please let us know what you think by taking this 2-minute survey.

This document designed and produced by the Center for Environmental Inquiry, cei.sonoma.edu