Forest Ecology

Instructor: Steven Clark Clark Community College Email: sclark@clark.edu

Ridgefield Field Trip

Directions to Ridgefield national wildlife refuge Carty unit
Take I-5 north to exit 14
Make left off exit onto Route 501 west (Pioneer street).
Follow into Ridgefield about 3 miles.
Make right turn at blinking red light onto main street. (True Value hardware on right)
The refuge parking lot is 1 mile ahead on left.
Meet in the parking lot at 30 minutes after the normal start of class.

Type your answers.

Do spell check. Do spell check.
Single space. 12 point.
Limit your work to one page if possible.
Refer to your syllabus for due dates
Use the Latin name for any trees you mention (because you will need to know these for the final).
20 points.

Ridgefield Summary Paper

Name two invasive species that we encountered on the trip. 2
Suppose you were the manager of the Ridgefield Wildlife Reserve. You have an option to burn the forest and cultivate oaks or to not burn the forests and allow the oaks to be out-competed. Explain which would you choose and tell me why. 2
We identified this plant as _______________. Do a Google image search for Lamium purpureum and tell me what you think. 3

Explain why this is an example of commensalism. 2
Identify. Tell me something you find interesting about this plant. 2
What ecological benefit do these termite larva contribute to the forest? 2
Using your field guide, name two of the flowers we saw. Use the common name and the Latin name (write the Latin names in the proper form for full points). 1.
Draw a simplified flower. Label the petal, pistil, ovary and anther. Where does the seed (egg) reside? Where does the pollen (sperm) reside? I think you can find an illustration in the back of your book for help. 2.
Tell me two pieces of information that you felt was interesting but that I haven’t asked about on this sheet. 2.
Extra Credit: Name this plant we saw on the way back to the cars. 1 point.