|
|
|
Every fall, Hamilton's Ecology class takes a trip to Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondack High Peaks to observe how the vegetation changes with elevation. Higher on a mountain, the temperature is lower, wind speeds are higher, the soil is thinner and more acidic, and the growing season is shorter. As a result, trees at higher elevations are shorter, fewer species are able to grow there, and evergreens dominate the forest. On these trips, students identify tree species, characterize the forests they see, and measure climatic factors. They also study the shrub and herbaceous vegetation in the wind-induced alpine near the summit. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On Sept. 19, 1999, the ecology students examined the forest at 2320, 3200, 4000, 4400, and 4800 feet elevations on Whiteface Mountain.
They identified 12 species of trees at the lowest elevation, with that number decreasing to 7 and then 6 species at the next two elevations, to only 4 species at the highest two elevations.
Paralleling that change, the height of the forest decreased with elevation from 35 to 30, 15, 15, and 4 feet, and the forest changed from 40 percent to 99 percent coniferous near the summit.
Air temperature decreased 2.3 degrees (C), while wind speed increased from about 5 mph to more than 10 mph. Changing climate along the elevational gradient leads to the changes observed in the forest. |
|
|
