Flora in the Carpathians

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Flora in the Carpathians

After finishing this lection you are aware of and have learned about; The student will learn the organs of a plant/ tree.

The student will obtain knowledge of the function of a tree and four kinds of trees.

The student will gain information of the climate of the mountains of Carpathians The student will become acquainted with the model, SWOT, and how to use the model in a discussion.

End product is a to predict the future based on a SWOT-analysis

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First challenge How do you think mountains are created?

- talk to the student next to you in 2 minutes “Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery” - John Ruskin Write your answer here;

What different types of Mountains are there?

1. Fold Mountains (Folded mountains) 2. Fault-block Mountains (Block Mountains) 3. Dome Mountains 4. Volcanic Mountains 5. Plateau Mountains These different types of mountain names not only distinguish the physical

characteristics of the mountains, but also how they were formed.

Fold Mountains are the most common type of mountain. The world’s largest mountain ranges are Fold Mountains.

These ranges were formed over millions of years.

Try to draw below how this looks like.

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Organs of a flowering plant There are five main organs in the body of a flowering plant. They are the root, stem, leaf, flower and bud.

Each organ may be used for more than one task or life process.

1. The root anchors the plant and takes up water and minerals from the soil. The roots of some plants, such as the carrot, store food.

2. The stem transports water and food and supports the leaves and the flowers. Some plants, such as trees, store food in their stems.

3. The leaf produces food. In some plants, such as the onion, food is stored in the bases of the leaves. The swollen leaf bases make a bulb.

4. The flower contains the sexual reproductive organs of the plant.

5. The bud contains tiny new branches, leaves and flowers ready to grow. These are delicate structures so the outside of the bud forms a protective covering to prevent them being damaged as they start to grow.

All the organs work together to keep the plant alive so that it can grow and produce offspring.

Question - Which life processes or tasks do you think are found in both plants and humans?

“Trees and forests are the lungs of the planet� - unknown saying Forests cover more than 90% of the Carpathians with some of Europe´s largest stands of virgin forest.

Virgin forests are forests that have formed spontaneously, without human interference and continue to develop in the same way.

The sub-alpine and alpine belts of the Carpathians are constituted by grass communities on shallow soils, small shrub communities.

Alpine vegetation although covering only 2 % of the region is of considerable significance for biodiversity, with specialized species, adapted to extreme life conditions.

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Trees are an important part of our world. They provide wood for building and pulp for making paper. They provide habitats (homes) for all sorts of insects, birds and other animals. Many types of fruits and nuts come from trees -- including apples, oranges, walnuts, pears and peaches. Even the sap of trees is useful as food for insects and for making maple syrup -- yum!

Trees also help to keep our air clean and our ecosystems healthy. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.

Photosyntesis of the plants

Your notes:

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The Carpathians Mountain Zarnesti is placed surrounded by Carpathian Mountains that give a unique flora because each floor in the mountains holds its own variation of vegetation. The flora of the Carpathians includes 1350 species, among which 116 are endemic.

The Carpathians Mountain Range is the second largest in Europe, only the Scandinavian is large, and of the type folded mountains created when rocks where was scraped off the sea bottom and thrust over the North-European plate.

In the mountains there are mined iron ore, bauxite (which is used to make alumni) and hydrothermal ores including lead, zinc, copper, gold and silver. On the basins on the inside of the mountains there are several gas and oil fields.

The first floor the depression A depression is a wide, flat area of land adjacent to a river that overflows its banks periodically (flood plain). The depression floor reaches to 800 m altitude and consists of meadows and valleys. This floor is dominated by Perennial grass. Perennial means having a life cycle of more than two years as a plant. All the plants at this floor are plants, which are suitable for a Meadow moist climate.

An open field of grass that is growing wild or is used for pasture or to grow hay.

”I´d put my money on the sun and solar energy.

What a source of power!

I hope we don´t have to wait until oil and coal run out – before we tackle that.”

- Thomas Edison Valley A long area of low land between mountains or hills. A stream or river often runs through a valley.

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Oak, this grows in the altitude 700 - 800 m.

Oak trees are usually large in size. They can reach 21 m in height and 3 m in width. Their branches can reach 41 m in length.

Due to its large dimensions, oak requires large amount of water per day. It can absorb 189 liters of water each day.

Oaks produce both male and female flowers. Male flowers are arranged in clusters called catkins. Female flowers are much smaller.

Fruit of the oak is called acorn. Production of acorns starts at the age of 20 to 50 years.

Oaks produce more than 2000 acorns every year, but only one in 10 000 acorns will manage to develop into oak tree.

Second floor forest - Beech grows in the altitude 700 - 800 m.

Beech can reach 24 - 30 m in height. Multiple slender branches form broad, dome-shaped crown - but it cannot grow in the atmosphere rich in carbon monoxide.

Beech blooms in spring, from April to May, shortly after leaves appear. Flowers are pollinated by the wind.

Beechnut was used as food for the cattle in the past. Many forest mammals and birds consume beechnuts as a regular part of their diet.

Beech wood was used as fuel in the industry of glass and iron in the past.

Fresh beech leaves can be used in human diet. They are usually consumed in the form of salad. Beechnut is rich source of oil that is suitable for human consumption.

There are also other kinds of trees like elm, maple and hazel. Also fruits trees are to be found at this floor like raspberry and blackberry.

The forest floor also consists of variety of different plant like thyme, horsetail and watercress.

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Conifers grows in the altitude of 800 - 1700 m The tree is called conifers because they belong to a group of trees which grow cones. The cones of the conifers are very important because they are the place where the tree makes and shelters its seeds.

Compared to other trees like beech, which have broad leaves with large surfaces so they can gather a lot of sunlight, conifers have needles which are long and thin. This shape slows down the evaporation of water so the tree doesn't lose as much. Because of this adaptation, trees with needles often don't need as much water and can grow in areas that other trees can't.

The world’s tallest conifers where do they grow?

Third floor Alpine 800 - 1800 m. altitude Spruce forests grows in the altitude 1300 - 1800 m Most species of spruce grow to the height of 18 to 61 m. Sitka spruce is the tallest species of spruce that can reach 92 m in height.

Tree grows very fast, from 1.8m to 3.5m per season, even though some species can grow 18m per year.

Each spruce tree produces male and female cones.

Young cones are green. Mature cones are brown in color. Cones with ovules (female cones) are larger than cones with pollen (male cones).

Spruce can survive few thousand years in the wild.

Some trees, such as Norway spruce, called Old Tjikko, found in Sweden can reach the age of 9.550 years. This tree is probably the oldest tree on the planet.

The colours of the Carpathians The Carpathian floral year begins at the end of February – the beginning of March, with the colsfoot, the snowdrop, the hollow wort and the pheasant’s eye.

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The rose bay flowers at the beginning of June, when the mountain slopes above the juniper belt become red being covered by the splendid carpet of rose bay.

It is indeed a special event. In July and August, the lawns, the slides and the rock walls are turned into multicolored canvases by the other plants in bloom - little lilies of the valley, pigeon chins, various species of pursuance, bird’s eye, saxifrages, spotted gentian and the yellow gentian. Autumn time is announced by the amellus starwort (Aster amellus) and the swallow wort gentian.)

Magic pink Rhododendron flower in the Carpathians

The Climate in the mountains If you took a walk along the mountain path or road you would observe that plant life changes with attitude - this is called the zoning of plant life. The most striking of these changes is undoubtedly the disappearance of the forests, which are replaced by meadows, at 2000 - 2500m above sea-level.

The key factor of this change is that the average temperature drops as altitude increases - 0,55oC per 100m.

Question - what will the temperature on the top of Moldoveanu Peak (2.544m.) be today?

Another factor is that the growth of vegetation depends on rainfall. The growth of vegetation depends on rainfall and temperature.

9 The vegetation on the lower slopes largely depends on which climate zone the mountain is in. The foothills may be covered in broadleaved forests. These change to needleleaf trees (coniferous trees) like spruce and pines at on the upper slopes (higher altitudes).

The highest parts of the mountain support only sparse grasses and low-growing alpine flowers which can withstand the harsh conditions.

If the mountain is high enough even this vegetation disappears and the peak is bare rock and perhaps covered in snow and ice.

TASK - Fil the mountains with flora, trees, climate (temperature and rainfall) and altitude.

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My dictionary

Word

Picture

Explanation

Flower

The part of a plant that has petals and that makes fruit or seeds; blossom. Flowers often have a pleasant smell.

Leaf

One of the usually green, flat parts of a plant or tree that grows from the stem or branch.

Stem/ trunk on a tree

The main part of a plant that grows up from the ground and supports the branches, leaves, flowers, or fruits that may grow from it.

Roots

The part of a plant that usually grows underground. Roots take up water and nutrients, and hold the plant in the soil.

Oak

A tree that belongs to the beech family and bears acorns.

Beech

A tree that has smooth, gray bark and nuts that people can eat.

Conifers

An evergreen tree with hanging cones and short, thin leaves shaped like needles.

Spruce

A tree with cones and narrow leaves called needles. Pines and firs are conifers. Most conifers are evergreen.

Coniferous tree

Bearing cones, or pertaining to plants that do so.

Hardwood tree/ deciduous tree

Any of several types of trees with strong, hard wood and broad leaves. / Having leaves that drop off each year.

German

Danish

Romanian

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Word

Use the word in a sentence

Flower Leaf Stem/ trunk on a tree Roots Oak Beech Conifers Spruce Coniferous tree Hardwood tree/ Deciduous tree How was it to read the Flora in the Carpathians?

How was it to do the different tasks?

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�Mountains are where heaven meets earth�

Literature list: Framework Science, Paddy Gannon, Oxford Checkpoint Biology, Peter D. Riley, Hodder Education

Internet links: http://zarnesti.net/en/zarnesti/geography-zarnesti/ http://www.brasovtravelguide.ro/romania/carpathians-mountains/ http://www.wordsmyth.net/?level=2&ent= http://kortlink.dk/kxw7

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