ECOLOGY Elizabeth Matarese, CPH Anne Arundel County Master - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

ECOLOGY

Elizabeth Matarese, CPH Anne Arundel County Master Gardener Program 2013

Sylvan Kaufman

• Dr. Kaufman consults, writes, teaches, and lectures on

ecology, botany and restoration topics. She is also active on the board of the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. Sylvan has a BA in Biology from Vassar College and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Rutgers University. She has worked as a researcher at Harvard University and as the curator and land manager at Adkins Arboretum. Sylvan co- authored “Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification and the Impacts and Control of Common North American Species.”

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This presentation should help you gain an understanding of:

• A global perspective on ecology and our place

in it

• Our local climate and geology and their

influence on plant and animal communities

• The effects of land-use practices
• The interactions of plants and animals
• Changes in these communities and the

implications

• The flow of energy and nutrients through the

land and the effects of human influence

Some Basics

• Ecology is the study of organisms and

their environment.

• There are biotic and abiotic elements in

the environment. Biotic means living. Abiotic means without life.

– Plants, animals, viruses, bacteria, fungi – Soil, temperature, light, minerals, climate, moisture, elevation

Biomes and Ecosystems

• The Biosphere supports life. Within the

biosphere are Biomes. Within biomes are Ecosystems.

• Ecosystems are communities of biotic

and abiotic components. These components are interdependent, linked together through nutrient cycles and the energy generated through their activities.

Examples of Ecosystems

• Rainforests
• Coral Reefs
• Deciduous forests
• Aquatic environments
• Riparian zones
• Estuarine environments

INTERDEPENDENCIES

• Ecosystems within biomes share many

characteristics

• There are a number of definitions of

“ecosystem.” Drawing a finite line around a set of properties or characteristics has proven difficult.

• Ecologist Ariel Lugo and co-authors

identified ten characteristics for effective classification of ecosystems. They posited that the definition should be based on ecosystem processes.

INTERDEPENDENCIES.........continued

• Within biomes, ecosystems must remain

in balance

• Temperature and precipitation are two
• f the most important factors affecting

this balance

• Geography influences these differences
• n both the global and local scale

Impacts on the Biosphere

Major natural and human-caused changes have global impacts:

• El Niño and la Niña
• Depletion of the ozone layer
• Rising average temperatures reflected in

the revised hardiness zone map

• Sea level rise effects
• Weather extremes

Impacts on the Biome

• The biosphere contains large areas with

relatively uniform vegetation. This is determined by a mean annual temperature and precipitation.

– Major terrestrial biomes include tundra, desert, grassland, and three types of forests. – Maryland is in the temperate forest biome.

TUNDRA DESERT GRASSLAND TROPICAL FOREST TEMPERATE FOREST BOREAL FOREST

TUNDRA BIOME

TUNDRA BIONOME

BOREAL BIOME

Climate: Climate in the taiga is cold, with average annual temperatures from about +5 to -5 C. It is interesting to note that one location with a coniferous forest, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, has an average annual temperature of only 1 C! Precipitation varies, from about 20 cm of precipitation per year to over 200 cm. Much of the precipitation, of course, is in the form of snow. The winters are cold and long; summers are relatively short and cool. With snowmelt and low temperatures, there is little evaporation in the summer, so the ground is usually very moist during the growing season. Add to the availability of water the fact that the short summer has extremely long day length at the northerly latitudes and you have a situation for explosive plant growth in the summer. Still the growing season is short, usually less than 3 months.

TAIGA OR BOREAL FOREST BIOME

TROPICAL FOREST BIOME

TROPICAL FOREST BIOME

Climate: Warm and wet describes the tropical rain forest climate. The average annual temperature is above 20 C; there is never a frost. Rainfall varies widely from a low of about 250cm of rain per year to about 450 cm/year. That means a range from about 8 to 14 feet of rain per year. The tropical rainforests are, indeed, located in a band around the equator from 23.5 N (the Tropic of Cancer) to 23.5 S. Because the Earth tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis as it travels around the sun, at some point in the year (the solstices, June 22nd in the north, December 22nd in the south) the sun will be directly overhead on one of these lines. At the equinoxes the sun is directly over the equator. Within this band, solar radiation is most intense, and thus the surface of the planet warms the most. The warmth leads to a lot of evaporation, and as warm, moist air rises, it cools, the water condenses, and the water falls back to the earth as rain. Thus, the warmest areas of the planet also tend to be the wettest, and this sets the stage for the tropical rain forest. Not all of the land in the tropics is tropical rainforest. Some areas are too cold (mountaintops),

• r are too dry (the far side of a mountain range from the ocean gets less rain). In

some places there may be a lot of rain, but it falls seasonally and the long dry season prevents a tropical rainforest from developing.

Another biome similar to the tropical rain forest is the cloud forest. These forests form on mountaintops in the tropics; The forests in Jamaica and Costa Rica are good examples, and they exist in

• ther mountainous areas as well. Because of their

elevation, cloud forests are cooler than the tropical rain forests below them; much of the water there does not fall as rain but is instead wrested from the clouds by the plants living in the forest. These forests are critically endangered by global warming; as the planet warms tropical rainforest is able to move up the mountainsides and the cloud forests are displaced into smaller and smaller regions at the tips of the mountains - and if these mountaintops get too warm the entire cloud forest will be replaced by tropical rainforest.

GRASSLAND BIOME

Whatever their origins, grasslands today are found in areas of the world intermediate in precipitation between deserts and forests. In the northern hemisphere the main grasslands are the prairies of the Midwestern United States and Canada; in Eurasia the maker grasslands are the steppes of Russia and the grasslands of the mid-east extending from Turkey to India. Grasslands are also found in South America. Africa certainly has grasslands, but the majority of them are classified instead as savannas (a tropical grassland with interspersed trees) and they are treated with the tropical seasonal forests here.

GRASSLAND BIOME

Climate: The climate for grasslands is basically dry. Precipitation usually does not exceed 100 cm per year, with a minimum near 20 cm per year. Also, grasslands tend to be in temperate to subtropical areas, often with cold winters and hot summers. As you can see in the diagram below, average annual temperatures range from below 0 degrees C to about 20 C. The warmer end

• f this range would probably tend towards tropical savanna. As moisture levels

increase, grasslands usually give way to temperate forests or taiga, depending

• n the temperature.

One problem with determining the exact climate for this biome is historical. There is now some evidence that suggests that some prairie (at least that intermixed with forests in the more humid eastern United States) was artificially maintained by native American tribes using fire as a tool. By eliminating trees and creating grasslands they increased biological diversity and populations of such game species as bison and deer. So, the question remains as to what extent grassland habitats are the results of "natural" processes or of human interference.

TEMPERATE FOREST BIOME

TEMPERATE FOREST BIOME

SOME LINKS

• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm
• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/troprain.htm
• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tempded.htm
• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tundra.htm
• http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/desert.htm

The Habitats of Maryland

Abiotics of the Coastal Plain…….

Climate Elevation and Temperature. From a few feet above sea level, the Coastal Plain extends and rises gradually to about 150’ MSL…. And extends westward to the edge of the Piedmont Plateau. Thence it rises to 3,360’ in

On pages 9 and 10 in the handbook, there are graphs that illustrate the elevation change across this state. The gradual rise of the terrain from Annapolis to FDK, thence to HGR, and then follows a slight loss of elevation to Hancock and

• Cumberland. We then see an abrupt rise in elevation to Frostburg and Grantsville.

When you look at the depiction above, you also see the difference in latitude. Basically, we are moving from the southeast portion of the state (West Bay Tamp on Assateague Island to the West-Northwest, to Grantsville and Friendsville at the western edge of the state. So there is a combination of latitude and altitude that plays into temperature precipitation differentials.

NNW SSE N

• W. BAY TAMP

FRIENDSVILLE

Additionally, there are factors such as proximity to water, and urban and suburban environments, that affect abiotic conditions. And there are combinations of these environments, as noted your text (page 10). Another important concept that must be understood is that of “watersheds.” Dr. Kaufman refers to the writer and geologist John Wesley Powell for a description of how a hydrologic system supports a whole community of life. Watersheds are important because they identify the direction of drainage of water on and under the land. In Maryland, there is a dividing line in the far western portion of the state. The Youghiogheny watershed drains northward to Pennsylvania, where it joins the Ohio River and thence westward to the Mississippi River and, ultimately, to the Gulf of Mexico. To the east of the Youghiogheny, everything drains into the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Why this is important involves communities, local governments, and state government agencies. On an individual basis, our land use practices are critical to the health and future of our most valuable resource.

Youghiogheny River

LAND USE PRACTICES

• Landscaping practices and water use

– Cleaning – Plant selection – Rainwater collection – Mulching

• Stormwater management

– Runoff – Erosion – Pollutants and contaminants

A LITTLE TIME OUT?

Our History

From Forest to Farms to Mixed Land Uses

Reforestation Efforts

• Massive replanting of former farm land
• Slow process of regrowth because of

compacted soils

• Some replanting for revenue …Pine tree

plantations

• Many efforts to reforest but thwarted by

housing developments, roads, and office parks

• Maryland is down to 41% (second-growth

forests)

Urbanization and Its Effects

• 80% of Marylanders live in urban areas
• Increased impervious surfaces
• Stream channelization
• Soil alteration
• Plant and animal community changes

Characteristics

• f the Urban Landscape
• The patchwork quilt of the urban scene

consists of a bit of forest, parking lots, back yards, weedy lots, industrial buildings, strip malls, houses, and apartments.

• Within the confines of this quilt are

roads, streams, railways, walking paths, and sidewalks.

Fixing the Urban Landscape

• Communities, where each home owner

creates habitats for birds, butterflies, and native plants, can provide refuges that compensate for the deficiencies of the urban landscape.

• The most important habitat factor is

trees, because they provide food and shelter.

Organisms and Survival

• Habitat consists of physical space and

resources necessary for survival and reproduction

• Holly trees as an example in the text

indicate the range of factors to be considered

• A vegetable garden is another example.

Organisms and Survival

• Niche refers to the environmental

conditions and resources required to a species to maintain a viable population.

• Note that there is no reference to

physical space.

• The text cites Robert MacArthur’s case

study of warblers.

• Niche requirements are like apartment

buildings! Or Condos!

Microclimates

• Large-scale microclimates are created

by temperature differentials, moisture measurements, and sun exposure

– Valleys: sometimes cooler than ridgetops – Large bodies of water: smaller range of temperatures – Urban areas: heat island effect

Microclimates in Your Backyard

• The features of your backyard produce

microclimates.

• Generally, the north side of the house is

cooler; less sunlight. Temperature of a lawn will be lower than the area right next to the asphalt driveway.

• Shelter from wind allows air to heat or

cool

Microclimates in Your Backyard

• Microclimates are affected by:

– Aspect: the direction a slope or wall faces – Temperature: the presence of vegetation, surface, surface color and evenness – Water: relative humidity or soil moisture

• While plants gain water through their roots (and

sometimes through the air), animals get water in what they eat and drink.

• Plants lose water through evaporation and

transpiration; animals lose water through evaporation and excretion.

Energy and Nutrients

All organisms are dependent on energy and carbon resources. Plants obtain energy from the sun and obtain carbon molecules from the air through photosynthesis. Some plant families can obtain nutrients from the soil (See the Pea Family – Fabaceae) through bacteria. About 90% of plant species associate with fungi called mycorrhizae. These plants supply carbon (through carbohydrates) to the fungi in exchange for the fungi facilitating the uptake of soil nutrients to the plant. This metabolic process is detailed in Chapter 3. Animals obtain carbon and energy from the organic molecules found in the food they eat. It costs energy to find and consume food; thus the search for food must be cost-effective. Squirrels eat the white oak acorns immediately, because they are sweet and readily provide energy. The red

• ak acorns, laden with lipids and tannins are saved for winter.

Your Garden

• Plants respond to light: Photosynthesis

The conversion of unusable sunlight energy into usable chemical energy is associated with the actions of the green pigment chlorophyll. Most of the time, the photosynthetic process uses water and releases the oxygen that we absolutely must have to stay alive. We can write the overall reaction of this process as: in the presence of sunlight 6H2O + 6CO2 ----------> C6H12O6+ 6O2 This chemical equation translates as: six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen

The Oak Leaf on the right, in shade exposes more surface to the sun; its sinuses are shallower, and this enables it to perform efficient and necessary photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis: In the presence of sunlight:

Physiology: the science of the functions of living systems

Plants

• Photosynthetic process
• f producing sugars
• Transpiration: the

evaporative loss of water from the

leaves

• Respiration

C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + released energy

• Osmosis

Animals

• Habitat with resources

– Shelter – Food – Water – Space

The mitochondria of cells of organisms release chemical energy from sugar and other

• rganic molecules through chemical oxidation

Applicable to both plants and animals)

Species Interactions

• Interdependencies

– Functions – Resource Use – Resource (s) Provided

• Groupings

– By function – By interaction

Functional Groups

• Producers
• Herbivores
• Carnivores
• Decomposers

The Functioning Ecosystem

NUTRIENTS

PRODUCERS HERBIVORES CARNIVORES DECOMPOSERS

Interactive Groups

• Pollinators
• Seed Dispersers
• Parasites
• Competitors

HERBIVORES PREDATORS DECOMPOSERS POLLINATORS & SEED DISPERSERS PARASITES COMPETITORS/ COOPERATORS PLANTS

Native Pollinators

• Wind Pollination

– Large amounts of pollen – Pines, oaks, grasses, weeds

• Insect Pollinators

– Bees, butterflies, beetles, wasps, butterflies, flies – Hummingbirds!

• Generalists and Specialists

Effects of Pollinators

• Economic Value : $3Billion annually
• Diet : 25% of birds’ and seed/fruit-

eating mammals’ diet

• Keystone species pollinators :

disproportionate impact on the environment compared to its abundance

Habitat Concerns and Solutions

• Destruction of fields

and forests

• Pesticide/insecticide

use

• Diseases
• Changes in

Interactions

• Introduction of

invasive plants and insect pests

• Establishment of

shelter, nesting sites, food, and water

• Minimal use of

pesticides/ insecticides

• Native plants and

avoidance/clean-up

• f invasives

Table 2-A Food and shelter requirements for common native pollinators Pollinator Food Shelter Solitary bees Nectar and pollen Nest in hollow stems or tubes; bare patches of well-drained soils; make nest of mud, plant resins, or saps on rocks or bark. Bumblebees Nectar and pollen Nest underground, under clumps of grass or in tree cavities Butterflies Larval host plants, nectar, mud puddles for minerals Shelter in bushes, tall grasses, piles of sticks Hummingbirds Nectar, tree sap, insects Nest in trees, shrubs, and

• vines. Can provide cotton or

willow catkins for nesting material

Changing Interactions

• Predators (white-tail deer proliferation)
• Introduced invasive plants, pests,

diseases (E.g., Mile-a-Minute/Garlic mustard, Chestnut blight/Dutch Elm Disease, Emerald Ash Borer

• Success of invasives: no predators!
• Success of weeds: large margin of

tolerance

Ecological Threat: Garlic mustard spreads into high quality woodlands upland and floodplain forests, not just into disturbed areas. Invaded sites undergo a decline on native herbaceous cover within 10 years. Garlic mustard alters habitat suitability for native insects and thereby birds and mammals. This European exotic occurs now in 27 mid-western and northeastern states and in Canada.

If left unchecked, reduced photosynthesis can kill a plant. Large infestations of mile-a-minute weed eventually reduce native plant species in natural areas. Small populations of extremely rare plants may be eliminated

• entirely. Because it can smother tree seedlings, mile-a-minute weed has a

negative effect on Christmas tree farms, forestry operations on pine plantations and reforestation of natural areas. It has the potential to be a problem to nursery and horticulture crops that are not regularly tilled as a cultivation practice. Persicaria perfoliata ECOLOGICAL THREAT Mile-a-minute weed grows rapidly, scrambling over shrubs and other vegetation, blocking the foliage of covered plants from available light, and reducing their ability to photosynthesize, which stresses and weakens them. In addition, the weight and pressure of the vine causes distortion of stems and branches of covered plants.

The fungus enters through wounds and grows in and beneath the bark, eventually killing the cambium all the way round the twig, branch or trunk.[11] The first symptom of C. parasitica infection is a small orange-brown area on the tree bark. A sunken canker then forms as the mycelial fan spreads under the

• bark. As the hyphae spread, they produce

several toxic compounds, the most notable of which is oxalic acid. This acid lowers the pH

• f the infected tissue from around the

normal 5.5 to approximately 2.8, which is toxic to plant cells. The canker eventually girdles the tree, killing everything above it. Distinctive yellow tendrils (cirrhi) of conidia can be seen extruding from the stroma in wet weather

Brown streaking develops in sapwood of branches infected by Dutch elm disease

• fungus. Streaking is visible here (from left to

right) in: (1) the newly formed sapwood, (2) spring sapwood overlaid by uninfected summer wood, and (3) is absent in an uninfected branch. (Photo courtesy of the America Phytopathological Society.)

This insect threatens the entire North American Fraxinus genus, unlike past invasive tree pests, which have

• nly threatened a single species

within a genus. The green ash and the black ash trees are

• preferred. White ash is also

killed rapidly, but usually only after green and black ash trees are eliminated. Blue ash displays some resistance to the emerald ash borer by forming callous tissue around EAB galleries; however, usually they are eventually killed also.[6]

Very young ash leaf with adult EAB. One leaf, 9 leaflets Green Ash (Red Ash) One leaf, 7 leaflets (Stream Banks) One leaf, 9 leaflets Black Ash One leaf, 7 leaflets (Swamps) White Ash top/bottom One leaf, 7 leaflets

Succession

• Succession is the replacement of one

community by another.

• Distinct Stages

– Initial annuals succeeded by perennials – Mature Community (Climax). Example is the Great Plains grass community – Importance is seen by what happened in 1930, which was the loss of grassland to agriculture.

C

• m

m u n i t y S t r u c t u r e

PIONEER ANNUALS STAGES OF SUCCESSION (SERE) TIME (YEARS) CLIMAX PERENNIALS YOUNG SOFTWOODS PERENNIALS SOFTWOODS HARDWOODS

Succession

• In the Coastal Plain, succession affects our

wetlands and the health of the waters that support fish and wildlife.

• Modifications of the habitats favor the

growth of certain plants while discouraging

• thers.
• Left to natural progression, an ecosystem

will go from less complex (low diversity) to more complex (higher diversity) over time.

• What is happening to the ecosystem of the

Coastal Plain?

Succession Characteristics

• Species changes
• Community structural changes
• Diversity characteristics

Layers of understory trees, shrubs, and perennials enhance both plant and animal diversity

Disturbances

• Natural and Human-caused disturbances
• The more frequent or intense a

disturbance is, the greater the change it is likely to effect on the community.

• Questions: Can you support this

statement with local examples? Can you identify how to speed up succession in your own yard?

Species and Populations

• Darwin’s observations (1809-1882) (1859 ) (

Origin of Species)

– Inherited characteristics (finches) – Variation (beak size changes) – Population outstrips resources of environment (not enough seed for all finches) – Survival of the those most adaptive to cracking open seeds with larger beaks)

• Mendel’s studies

– Genes are the units of inheritance – Dominant and recessive traits – Genetic mutations vs. gradual evolvement

Physical and Human Influences

• Evolution happens over many generations but
• Some insects, bacteria, viruses, can produce may

generations in a short time (even in a year).

• Other organisms take a long time…elephants, e.g.,
• ak trees!, human beings!
• However, there are concepts to consider:
• Inbreeding (loss or fragmentation of habitat)
• Introduction of new species (Global trade)
• Rapid climate change producing population shifts,

extinction

• Agricultural practices like GE crops, compromises of

native wild seed through pollination

Population Dynamics

• Groups of individuals of the same

species in the same location and distinct from other populations.

– Density as expressed #/given area – Birth Rate – Death rate – Dispersal (emigration v. immigration – Age Distribution (annuals, biennials, perennials)

Population Genetics

• Wind dispersal

– Pollen/seed size and weight – Wind velocity and turbulence – Open environment (meadow v. forest) – Plant height

• Animal dispersal

– Digestion time – Distance (flight (birds) of travel (animal) – Territory size

Plant Breeding

• Straight species – open pollination

species

• Cultivars and Hybrids – genetic

selection

– Tissue culture, cuttings – Crosses between two cultivars of the same species – Crosses between two species

Rare Plants

• > 600 species in Maryland
• Many are endangered or threatened
• Some have local populations in one or

another place…..e.g., some may be in western MD only or only in proximity to Chesapeake Bay; some species within the same family have populations in discrete locations.

Rare Plants

• Many rare or threatened or endangered

species have been picked or dug up to the point of being nearly eradicated.

• Many of these plants are dependent on

distinct soil conditions and/or support communities, such as mycorrhizae.

• There are licensing and legal

requirements for plant providers who

• ffer rare plants for sale. Be aware.

ECOSYSTEMS

• Ecosystem Structure
• Each species
• Occupies a specific area (niche) exclusively
• Has a specific role in energy flow and nutrient

cycling

• Upon reaching environmental limits of its area

(niche), it must stabilize or decline..

• Decline may be from disease, starvation, low

reproduction, of a combination of these factors.

Ecosystem Structure

• Populations react to environmental

constraints by:

• Growing, reproducing, depositing

seeds or eggs, using up the available food and nutrient resources: annual plants and insects, e.g.

• Maintaining the populations at or just

below the carrying capacity of food, water, nutrients: perennials, bulbs/corms and many bird and mammals

Ecosystem Structure

• Groups of species become a

community in a habitat with an array

• f interdependencies
• Physical, chemical, and biological

factors play roles.

• Each factor affects a species and,

as a result, affects the community as a whole.

Food Webs

• Abiotic and biotic factors combine in

the concept of an ecosystem

• Feeding interactions, i.e., the food web,

illustrate the functioning of the ecosystem

• Certain balances are created and

maintained…..AND

• Disruptions have consequences

Disruptions and Consequences

• Loss of a keystone species, e.g.,

pollinators

• Outbreaks of insect populations ,

because of loss of predators

• Introduction of invasive plant species,

which can outcompete natives

• Domino effect of disruption

Carbon Cycle

• CO2 and trace amounts of methane and CO are

contained in the atmosphere.

• Carbon becomes stored terrestrially and aquatically

long term and short term for products that are used (paper, houses).

• The effects of human activities have resulted in

higher levels of CO2.

– Fossil Fuels – Deforestation – Release of CO2 from soil – Peat moss harvesting

Ecological Consequences

• Rising temperatures and changes in

flowering times and species ranges

• Higher plant growth rates to the extent

that water and nutrient levels allow

• Increased pollen production among

plants, especially those causing allergic reactions

• Higher toxicity levels in poison ivy, e.g.,
• Increased vine growth (Kudzu vine, e.g.)

Current Water Cycle Conditions

• Urban areas: increased levels of

impervious surfaces; less plant cover.

• More water; less soaking into the

ground; more contaminants and pollutants reaching wetlands and waterways

• Less recharging of aquifers (well

depletion)

NUTRIENT CYCLES

OXYGEN CYCLE PHOSPHORUS CYCLE NITROGEN CYCLE WATER CYCLE SULFUR CYCLE

FOOD

OXYGEN CARBON DIOXIDE WATER + MINERALS

Micronutrients

Nitrogen Cycle

• Nitrogen is 78% of the earth’s atmosphere
• Converted into a usable form by plant and

animals through action of bacteria and lightning

• Plants use nitrates from soil; animals eat

the plants, and as they die, it cycles back into the system. (Some is lost into to atmosphere; bacteria also convert it into its gaseous form)

Alterations in the N2 Cycle

• Fertilizers and soybeans
• Fossil fuels….acid rain
• Use of chemical fertilizers rich in Nitrogen
• Loss of biodiversity in ecosystems by

developing plants adapted to low nutrient soils

• Increasing nitrate flow in waterways and

increasing nitrogen levels in the atmosphere through deforestation

• Nutrient rich runoff into wetlands and streams

causing eutrophication

Stewardship Guide

• Each landscape and garden is a complex

ecosystem

• Gardening practices have significant

impacts on neighboring properties and the larger community

• Managing our landscapes and gardens

thoughtfully, knowledgeably, and sustainably will improve the soil and water quality and strengthen the ecological web

• n which we all depend

Values

• Encouraging biodiversity
• Stability through intact ecosystems
• Preservation of species for the contributions they

make and potentially can make to civilization

• Preservation of forests because of our dependence
• n their contributions of shade, erosion prevention,

and creation of habitat

• Appreciation of native plants
• Correct use of water and energy
• Minimal use of pesticides, insecticides, and

herbicides

WELCOME TO THE MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM

• This program will be an education for

you…and an opportunity to put what you already know from practical and common sense experience to work and to the test!

• This is where you will learn to make a

difference, to make friends with the

• ther 230 active MGs, where we work

together to make Anne Arundel County a leader in improving our environment.

WELCOME TO THE MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM Thank you for your attention! I have enjoyed being with you and helping you complete the training requirements

• f the

Ecology Chapter in the MG Handbook.