Description should include
- forest influences on ecosystem cycles
- biological influences on tree growth
- intrinsic characteristics of the tree (e.g., genotype, age, meristems)
- the trees environment (e.g., light, temperature, water, nutrients, soil, wind, climate)
- competition
- pests and diseases
- soil microbiomes
- growth processes
- photosynthesis
- respiration
- transpiration
- relationships between trees and living organisms
- feeding relationships (food chains and webs)
- energy transfer among organisms
- habitat type
- symbiotic relationships
- commensalism
- mutualism
- parasitism.
Process/Skill Questions:
- What would be the effects of removing trees from ecosystems?
- Why are interactions among living organisms necessary to healthy environments?
- Why are trees essential to food and energy flow within forest communities?
- What are examples of mutualism?