Plant Ecology in a Changing World
  • Topics
    • Topic Overview
    • Biomes and Climates in a Changing World >
      • Adaptation, biodiversity, and environment
      • Climate constrains plant distributions
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      • Plant microclimate 1
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      • Nutrients in the environment
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    • Resource Allocation Changes with Environment >
      • Architecture and canopy processes
      • Plant phenology and resource allocation enhance performance
      • Leaf economic spectrum
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      • Defense against herbivory
      • Plant competition
    • Plant Responses to a Changing World >
      • Global changes occurring today
      • Invasive species
      • Atmospheric CO2 impacts plant
      • C3/C4 photosynthesis and climate
      • Climate change and the global carbon cycle
      • Climate warming and its impacts
    • Engineering Plant Communities >
      • Remember Utah's past and envision our future
      • Restoration ecology
      • Managed ecosystems
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      • Urban ecological futures
  • Assignments
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    • Exam #1
    • Exam #2
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  • Biomes
    • Biome Overview
    • Climate diagrams
    • Vegetation sight-seeing trip
    • Biome images
  • Models
  • Lab

Page 657

My wandering cousin Winfred Weatherly has been traveling again

Oh there, that cousin of mine, Winfred Weatherly, has once gone off, traveled, and only sent me riddles and partial notes, from which I am now supposed to decipher his travels. He likes geo-caching games and presumes that I like to solve puzzles too. Well, when there is enough time in the day, I will complete the deciphering of Winfred’s riddles, but for now let me just record his notes so that they do not get lost.
 
Note #1. This past June I traveled along the Pacific Coast from Long Beach, Washington to Long Beach, California. You’ll never guess this. How and why are the vegetation at these coastal sites different?
 
Note #2. Did you know that Arizona, Colorado, and Texas each have a town named Colorado City? Go figure, sweet, huh. Well in July when I visited each of these locations I was surprised to see how different yet similar the vegetation was at each location. Which of these photos on page 658 relates to these sites?
 
Note #3. You know that Samuel Clemens is one of my favorite humorist, but I did not know the actual I-am-not-dead quote was “The report of my death was an exaggeration”. I always thought the funny quote was “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Well, if you got to Florida, Missouri (yes, there is such a town), you can learn this and much more at the state park named after his pseudonym. What I found equally fascinating is that the vegetation in the state park was not at all like the Florida swamps or Mississippi River vegetation I associate with Mark Twain’s stories. Can you figure out how they differ?
 
Note #4.  OK, let’s get a little closer to home, but still make you do a little traveling beyond Wanship, Utah. Do you know why the natural vegetation around Naples, Utah, is not the same vegetation as you find surrounding Naples, Italy?

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Picture
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Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah