sant llorenç de montgai parte 2

Geologic process (The formation of thePyrenees)

During the collision of the Eurasian plate to the Catalan-Balearic massif, Mesozoic strata (of the Eurasian plate) rode on the strata of the 2nd Era or Cenozoic Era (Catalano-Balearic massif)This thrust was produced by the sliding of the already mentioned layers on the Triassic gypsum also known as keuper or gypskeuper

Thrustsheet

South Pyrenean frontal thrust

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Segre Basin’s marginal Thrust Sheets

Monteró, mainly made up of red gypsums from the Upper Triassic, Trias (Mesozoic era ).

Dolomites from the Jurassic, Lyas (Mesozoic era ) .

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Serres Marginals of Segre Basin (Mont Roig)

Limestones

Dolomites

Gypsums

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MarlThrustsheet

Tertiary Era

Secondary Era

Limestones and Dolomites formation

In the Cenozoic era, there was aninland sea. At the bottom of the seathere were many sea creatures andcorals which formed a calcareousskeleton that after thousands of yearsbecame Limestones and Dolomites that we can observe now at thesurface of the “MontRoig” and the“Monteró”. 5

6.Vegetation

Manuel Muñoz CarriazoMiguel Ángel Olmos Alonso

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Freshwater Vegetation - Reeds

Reeds

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Freshwater Vegetation – Myriophyllum - Watermilfoil

SubmergedMacrophytes

Myriophyllum is not an algae but a plantEurasian watermilfoil is an extremely adaptableplant, able to tolerate and even thrive in a varietyof environmental conditions. It grows in still toflowing waters, can tolerate salinities of up to 15parts per thousand (half the salinity of PugetSound), and is able to tolerate pHs from 5.4-11. Itgrows rooted in water depths from 1 to 10meters and requires high light as it has a highphotosynthetic rate. It grows best on fine-textured, inorganic sediments and relativelypoorly on highly organic sediments.Dense watermilfoil mats alter water quality byraising pH, decreasing oxygen under the mats,and increasing temperature.

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Riparian Vegetation - Cattails

Typha latifolia (cattail) are resistant annual herbs that reach 1-3 meters in height. Their leaves are linear and alternate on the base of a single and naked flower stalk. It spreads through rhizomes and stolons and as one plant is starting to decline, a new plant will be established to take the original plant’s place.

Reeds 9

Typha latipholia – Cattails - Boga

▪ They live in lake areas, swamps and humidity, being one of the first species to colonize them. The dense rhizome system favors fixing to the soil, preventing erosion. Many insects stay inside and it provides shelter for frogs and birds.

▪ Grown in clean water, they’re edible. They are resistant to anoxic water (oxygen-poor) and to high degrees of pollution.

▪ It is used in the field of phytoremediation, particularly in systems sewage treatment. The are also used as biofuel (alcohol) producers and as fabric materials.

www.tcpermaculture.com

Rhizomesand

stolons“Roots”

Female inflorescence 10

Typha latipholia – Cattails - Boga

The flowers are unisexual butboth sexes coexist on the samestem. The male flower appearsexactly on the tip and isreduced to bare stamens 2-5,below this, at some distancethe dense female inflorescence,between 10 to 40 cm in length,cigar shaped.

Seeds carried by the wind

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Ulmus Minor – Field Elm - Om

It is a large and robust deciduous tree, which can reach a height of 40 m. Broad crown, dense foliage, rounded, which casts a dark shadow. Thin, hairless, with smooth bark, brownish, sometimes with cork twigs. Leaves: Simple, alternate, ovate, pointed, with doubly serrated edge or simply leaves, rounded or cordate, with basal asymmetry.

The Field Elm lives in humid and deep soils, although it is the least demanding in soil moisture between riparian trees. It tolerates some shade, perfectly withstand low temperatures and is indifferent to the nature of the soil chemistry.

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Basal Asymmetry

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Celtis Australis – Hackberry - Lledoner

European Hackberry is a deciduous tree which often suffers from witches’ broom. It supports different types of lands, but prefers not too compact sands; it resists quite well the drought, shade and heat, but not too much cold.

Fire Adaptations: Hackberry seedlingsand saplings are generally only top-killedby fire. Sprouting potential decreases as hackberry trees increase in size but thickhackberry bark may protect trees from lethal temperatures

14A witches' broom is a disease or deformity in a tree, where the natural structure of the plant is changed. A dense mass of shoots grows from a single point, with the resulting structure resembling a broom or a bird's nest.

Alnus Glutinosa – Black Alder - Vern

This deciduous tree ranges in size from a large shrub to a large tree. It grows naturally on low-lying lands. Characteristics: rapid growth, tolerance for acid soils, and nitrogen-fixing role (association with the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Frankia alni). It is valuable to wildlife for providing good cover and a source of seeds.

Its natural habitat is in moist ground near rivers, ponds and lakes but it can also grow in drier locations and sometimes occurs in mixed woodland and on forest edges.

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Buds or Shoots

Male Inflorescence

Buds or ShootsFemale

Inflorescence 16

Salix Alba – Willow – Salze/Sarga

The Willow is a deciduous tree which isfast-growing, but relatively short-lived.Salix alba can be found along rivers, lakes, or other natural water sources. This is because they need a large amount of water to sustain themselves. Also, they need a large amount of sunlight. The banks of water sources provide a perfect combination of these factors for willow trees. They also have strong capability to adapt to different PH levels in soil. This gives them the ability to survive many different soil types.

FIRE ADAPTATIONS : The willow is a fire-adapted species. Most plants sprout from the root crown following top-kill by fire. Even old, decadent willows sprout prolifically immediately after fire. Estrategies: Survivor species; on-site surviving root crown or caudex. Off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind, animals or water; postfire years 1 and 2.

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Fraxinus Excelsior – European Ash - Freixe

Fraxinus excelsior is a deciduous tree growing to 30 m at a fast rate. The ash develops its impressive crown when it grows in damp soil rich in minerals. Main habitats include riverbanks, meadow and valley woodlands, and deciduous woodlands. Ash grows best on fertile, pH-neutral, deep, freely drained soils and such sites should be favoured as the tree supplies with high quality timber.

Ash plays an important role in both primary and secondary succession, and it occupies large areas of allage classes of primary and secondary woodland. Itoften occurs in mixed broadleaved forest or as a component of forests dominated by European beech, sessile oak, pedunculate oak, sycamore, black alder orgrey alder

FIRE ADAPTATIONS : Most ash species sprout from the root crown after top-kill by fire or logging. 18

Buds or Shoots

Female Inflorescence

Compound Leaves

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Populus Alba – Silver Poplar - Alber

It is a fast-growing, deciduous tree although it is considered short-lived. The dark green, lobed leaves (simple) have a fuzzy, white underside which gives the tree a sparkling effect. These leaves are totally covered with this white fuzz when they are young and first open. The flowers appear before the leaves in spring but are not showy, and are followed by tiny, fuzzy seedpods which contain numerous seeds.

It occurs in natural forests, grasslands and riparian zones. Populus alba can grow in a variety of soils but seems to grow best in full sun habitats, such as fields, forest edges, and wetland fringes

P. alba can also tolerate dry, saline and calcareous soils, but prefers neutral, well-textured soil and good water availability. It can grow on flat or sloping areas, preferably south-facing.

FIRE ADAPTATIONS : it is a tree with adventitious buds, a sprouting root crown, sobols, and/or root suckers so that even the most severe fires probably result only in top-kill of the silver poplar.

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Holm Oak Forest

Manuel Muñoz CarriazoMiguel Ángel Olmos Alonso

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