A Study of Factors Affecting Biological Diversity Based On

The Auburn Forest and Nokomis Forest

Auburn

NokomisCollin Li, Eric Tom,Benjamin Park,Cindy Li, Kevin Chan,Christina Bogdan

AP EnvironmentalFall 2010Mr. Citron

Introduction• Trees influence soil type, water runoff and drainage,

provide food and habitat to a multitude of animals, and they may also impose distinct microclimates.

• The presence or absence of certain trees may serve as a direct indicator of overall forest health. 

• Tree species diversity, or tree biodiversity, varies with different environmental factors, which can then impact the overall health of the ecosystem

• Invasive species, precipitation, climate, and elevation all play a factor in biological diversity.

• Hence, the latitude and longitude play an important role in the biodiversity of a forest.

• The purpose of this project is to determine the health of Auburn Forest and compare the climate, precipitation, and elevation to that of the Nokomis Forest.

Methods• Data was collected on an atypical site

(Auburn Forest) and trees were counted in a plot (FIG)

• Different species were recorded using My World GIS for a single plot in the Auburn Forest(FIA)

• Different species were recorded using My World GIS for 20 plots in the Auburn Forest (FIA)

• Different species were recorded using My World GIS for a single plot in the Nokomis Forest (FIA)

  Latitude Longitude Plot Species Count

144.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab American Beech 4

244.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Balsam Fir 1

344.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Black Oak 1

444.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Other Oak 2

544.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Paper Birch 2

644.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Red Maple 16

744.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Red Oak 16

844.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab Sugar Maple 2

944.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab White Ash 1

1044.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab White Oak 1

1144.146 -70.224

Auburn Land Lab White Pine 2

Data

Auburn Forest FIA

Nokomis Forest FIA

Elevation

Precipitation Temperature

• Auburn receives more precipitation than Nokomis, providing more moisture for plants.

• Nokomis has a slightly higher 30 year average surface temperature than Auburn.

• Auburn has a higher elevation than Nokomis.

Conclusions• The invasive species Red Oak greatly

decreases biodiversity in the atypical Auburn forest.

• An abundance in a particular species suggests low biodiversity.

• If the Red Oak was able to dominate the atypical plot, the seeds may spread to other plots and cause the biodiversity of Auburn forest to decrease drastically.

• Biodiversity increases with a larger sample size.

• Precipitation is a dominant factor for biodiversity compared to temperature and elevation.

Works Cited• Barnett, Chuck, Karen Waddell, Jim Menlove, and Carol Perry. "FIA

DataMart: FIADB Version 4.0." FIA DataMart. USDA Forest Service, 15 Jan. 2011. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. <http://199.128.173.17/fiadb4-downloads/datamart.html>.

• Maloney, Pat. "Maine Forest Facts." Www.mainetreefoundation.org. Main Project Learning Tree. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.mainetreefoundation.org/forestfacts/TOC.htm>.

• State of Maine. "Facts & History: Wildlife & Plant Life." Maine.gov. InforME, 2010. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. <http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/wildlife_plant.html>.

• State of Maine. "Fig - Resources." Maine.gov. State of Maine. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.state.me.us/doc/mfs/fpm/plt/fig/fig_resources.htm>.

• "Tree Encyclopedia." North American Insects and Spiders / Tree Encyclopedia. Red Planet Inc. Web. 18 Jan. 2011. <http://www.cirrusimage.com/trees.htm>.

• Urban, Michael J., Ken Laustsen, Pat Maloney, Donald Sprangers, and Gerry Saunders. "Seeing the Forest for the Trees: What's in Your Woods?" Seeing the Forest for the Trees: What's In Your Woods? Earth Exploration Toolbook, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/forest/index.html>.