The Ecology of Constructed Landscapes

Components:

Look at landscape plants from a system perspective... attempt to understand

How a plant functions

How plants acquire resources necessary for those functions

How plants allocate those resources to grow and survive

The soil environment

Other plants in the environment

Insects and other animals

Plant pathogens

Compare 'natural' and 'constructed' landscape environments and identify patterns that can be used to diagnose and remediate problems in the landscape.

Understand plant adaptation to native habitats

Utilize plant adaptations in landscape planning, design, and maintenance

Identify stress and pest problems in the landscape

Integrate ecological conepts into plant health care maintenance programs for commercial, residential, and municipal landscapes.

Facts:

The landscape as an ecosystem

susceptibility (likelihood of successful attack)

vulnerability (likelihood of damage from attack)

stands vs individual plants

Plant Structure

Cells, Tissues (xylem, phloem, meristems- apical, vascular cambium, lateral), Organs (roots, stems, leaves, flowers/inflorescences, fruits)

Whole Plant: Life Form

Herbaceous: annuals vs. perennials

Secondary growth: trees and shrubs

Vines and Lianas

Anomalies (e.g. monocot 'trees')

Taxonomic overview

Angiosperm vs. Gymnosperm

Dicot vs. Monocot

Plant Function

Transport: source and sink biodynamics (xylem, water, dissolved minerals; phloem - photosynthates; water stress)

Photosynthesis

Storage

Growth and Dormancy (phototropisms and others; seed dormancy)

Plant Reproduction

Sexual

Life cycle of a typical dicot

Variations

Monoecious vs. Dioecious

Perfect vs. imperfect flowers

Complete vs. incomplete

Self-fertile vs. outcrosses

Asexual

Bulbs, corms, bulbils, rhizomes, stolons, etc.

Grafting

Layering

Tissue Culture

Apomixis (seeds without sex)

Plant Requirements

Macronutrients

Nitrogen: N cycling, soil biology, effects of fertilization

Carbon: photosynthesis fixes C; factors that affect photosynthesis; source of sugars, etc

Micronutrients

Manganese (can be limiting; e.g. Maples)

Stress

Constraints that limit the ability of the tree to acquire essential resources occur intwo way:

Through shortages of resources in the environment

When environmental factors limit the uptake of resources that are otherwise present

Stress and evolution