I want to know:
1) What the optimal forest canopy gap size is for Douglas-fir regeneration potential.
2) How the environmental conditions that affect Douglas-fir regeneration potential are effected by canopy gap size.
3) If mycorhizal networks have a significant role in the interaction between Douglas-fir regeneration potential and canopy gap size.
4) If I can effectively communicate this information accurately to an audience that may not be comfortable with these concepts.
ie. People that hate science.
So lets clarify -
You may notice I like saying regeneration potential of Douglas-fir. This is because in science you have to be extremely clear about what you are talking about. The term regeneration, which suggests natural regeneration, refers to the ability of a tree species to repopulate an area after a disturbance.
TANGENT
Disturbance: a temporary change in average environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem - Wikipedia
This includes naturally occurring disturbances such as forest fires, insect outbreaks, wind storms, and tree diseases, as well as human caused disturbance such as lumber harvesting. During the disturbance or soon after, trees die, fall over, or are completely removed from the system. This will change the density of the tree canopy and create a forest gap which greatly effect the the environmental conditions in the disturbed area.
Changes to environmental conditions after a disturbance include (but are not limited to):
1) More sunlight passing through the tree canopy
2) Changes to soil water availability for plants
3) Changes to soil surface temperatures
4) Changes to plant community and species composition
5) Changes to animal behavior and habitat use
All of these changes are key components to Douglas-fir regeneration. More light passing through the tree canopy means more photosynthesis for small seedlings on the forest floor. This makes disturbed areas perfect for regeneration. The amount that these environmental conditions change depends on how big the disturbance was and how big of a forest gap is created.
BACK ON TRACK
Plants have evolved to deal with disturbance through natural regeneration. Surviving trees outside of the disturbed areas produce seed and these seeds are distributed into the forest gap by wind or by animals (birds and squirrels). The reason I use the term regeneration potential so much in this study is because I have manually planted tree seed into forest gaps in order to apply experimental treatments to them (Discussed later).
Therefore: I must refer to the results of my study as the regeneration potential of interior Douglas-fir because it is not natural regeneration, but the ability for Douglas-fir to regenerate under the controlled conditions I have created for it.
Plants have evolved to deal with disturbance through natural regeneration. Surviving trees outside of the disturbed areas produce seed and these seeds are distributed into the forest gap by wind or by animals (birds and squirrels). The reason I use the term regeneration potential so much in this study is because I have manually planted tree seed into forest gaps in order to apply experimental treatments to them (Discussed later).
Therefore: I must refer to the results of my study as the regeneration potential of interior Douglas-fir because it is not natural regeneration, but the ability for Douglas-fir to regenerate under the controlled conditions I have created for it.
