Mountain Nature

by Frick-Ruppert, Jennifer

• ISBN13: 9780807871164
• ISBN10: 0807871168
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780807898260
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-15
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr
• More Book Details

Summary

The Southern Appalachians are home to a breathtakingly diverse array of living things--from delicate orchids to carnivorous pitcher plants, from migrating butterflies to flying squirrels, and from brawny black bears to more species of salamander than anywhere else in the world.Mountain Natureis a lively and engaging account of the ecology of this remarkable region. It explores the animals and plants of the Southern Appalachians and the webs of interdependence that connect them. Within the region's roughly 35 million acres, extending from north Georgia through the Carolinas to northern Virginia, exists a mosaic of habitats, each fostering its own unique natural community. Stories of the animals and plants of the Southern Appalachians are intertwined with descriptions of the seasons, giving readers a glimpse into the interlinked rhythms of nature, from daily and yearly cycles to long-term geological changes. Residents and visitors to Great Smoky Mountains or Shenandoah National Parks, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or any of the national forests or other natural attractions within the region will welcome this appealing introduction to its ecological wonders.

Author Biography

Jennifer Frick-Ruppert is associate professor of ecology and environmental science at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction: The Diverse Southern Appalachians	p. 1
The Nature of Cycles	p. 9
Daily Cycles and Biological Clocks	p. 10
The Daily Cycle of Sleep in Animals	p. 11
Daily Cycle of Sleep in Plants?	p. 12
Communication at Night	p. 12
Seasonal Cycles and Biological Calendars	p. 15
Day Length as the Cue for Seasonal Calendars	p. 17
Tree Rings: Evidence of Seasonal Cycles in Plants	p. 19
Migration and Hibernation: Seasonal Cycles in Animals	p. 20
Seasonal Cycles of Aquatic Animals	p. 21
Appalachian Trout and Other Fish	p. 23
Trout Food: Aquatic Insects	p. 25
Longer-term, Multi-year Cycles	p. 26
Tree Reproduction and Long-term Masting Cycles	p. 27
Masting in Cicadas?	p. 28
Population Peaks in Voles as Long-term Cycles	p. 29
Geological Features as Extremely Long-term Cycles	p. 31
The Nature of Cycles	p. 33
Cycles of Spring: March, April, May	p. 35
Pollination and Flower Form	p. 35
Pollination in Serviceberry and Silverbell	p. 36
Wind Pollination in Maples, Oaks, and Grasses	p. 37
Insect Pollination in Tulip Trees, Magnolias, and Flame Azaleas	p. 40
Of Peas and Pollinators: Locusts and Other Legumes	p. 41
Ephemeral Wildflowers: Ramps and Trout Lilies	p. 44
Other Wildflowers: More Lilies, Trilliums, and Jack-in-the-Pulpits	p. 47
"Leaves in Three, Let It Be!"	p. 48
Oconee Bells: A Charismatic Appalachian Wildflower	p. 49
Bloodroot: A Native Poppy	p. 51
Plants and Ants: Beneficial Relationships	p. 51
The Orchids; Wildflowers that Trick Insects and Parasitize Fungi	p. 54
Morels: A Springtime Delicacy	p. 56
Squawroot and Other Parasitic Plants	p. 57
Honeybee Swarms: Colony Reproduction	p. 59
Insects and Migratory Birds	p. 61
Warbler Diversify and Decline	p. 62
Caterpillars and Cuckoos	p. 63
Blue Birds and Bluebirds	p. 65
Migrations: The Return Route of Hummingbirds	p. 66
Spring Peepers	p. 68
Climatic Conditions in Spring	p. 69
Cycles of Summer: June, July, August	p. 71
Flowers in Myriad Forms: Jewelweed and Dodder	p. 71
Summer's Divine Robes: Cardinal Flower	p. 74
Ginseng and Yellowroot: Uncommon and Common Medicinal Plants	p. 75
Insectivorous Plants: Sundews and Pitchers	p. 76
The Heaths: Mountain Laurel, Rhododendron, Sourwood, and Pinesap	p. 78
Interdependence of Plants and Pollinators: Yucca	p. 81
What Good Is a Mosquito?	p. 82
Seeds and Fruits: Doll's Eyes and Hearts-a-Bustin'	p. 83
Rain, Fungi, and Connections	p. 84
Dangerous Social Insects and Their Mimics	p. 87
"Unsocial" Wasps?	p. 91
Poisonous Butterflies and Their Mimics	p. 93
Moth Communication and Camouflage	p. 96
Luna Moths: Endangered or Not?	p. 98
Katydids and Crickets: Summer Songsters Use Sound to Communicate	p. 99
Damsels and Dragons	p. 101
Crab Spiders: Camouflage by the Predators	p. 103
Flashing Fireflies of Summer Evenings	p. 103
Railroad Worms and Millipedes: Predators and Prey	p. 106
Grouse Threat Display: Prey or Predator?	p. 108
Southern Appalachians: Greatest Salamander Diversity in the World	p. 109
Lizards and Snakes: Close Cousins	p. 111
Snake Sense	p. 114
The Centenarian Turtles	p. 117
Climatic Conditions in Summer	p. 119
Cycles of Fall: September, October, November	p. 121
Bioluminescent Mushrooms	p. 122
Leaf Color Change	p. 123
Fall Flowers: Gentians and Orchids	p. 126
Witch Hazel's Bewitching Flowers	p. 126
Dispersal of Offspring in Plants	p. 128
Sweet Fleshy Fruits	p. 130
Fatty Fruits? Spicebush and Dogwood	p. 131
Other Fleshy Fruits: Sumac	p. 133
Migrant and Resident Birds as Fruit Dispersers	p. 134
Dry Fruits: Oaks, Hickories, and Chestnuts	p. 135
Squirrels as Seed Dispersers	p. 137
Bird Migration: Kinglets and Nightjars	p. 138
Hawks: Migrants and Residents	p. 140
Resident Screech and Barred Owls	p. 143
Bats	p. 144
Bars and Gargoyles	p. 147
Migrating Monarchs and the Foods that Support Them	p. 148
Ladybugs: Friends or Foes?	p. 152
The Rise and Fall of Insect Populations: Woolly Beat Caterpillars	p. 154
Woolly Alder Aphids	p. 155
Spiders and Their Insect Prey	p. 157
Climatic Conditions in Fall	p. 161
Cycles of Winter: December, January, February	p. 163
Freeze/Thaw Cycles and the Magic of Ice	p. 163
Deciduous versus Evergreen Trees	p. 164
Appalachian Conifers	p. 167
The "Perfect Storm" of Acids, Adelgids, and Global Warming	p. 168
American Holly: A Broad-Leaved Evergreen Tree	p. 170
Rhododendrons as Evergreen Thermometers	p. 171
Evergreen Herbaceous Plants: Cycles Reversed	p. 172
Primitive Plants and Their Reproductive Cycles	p. 173
Lichens and Jelly Fungi	p. 176
Springtails: Enigmatic Winter Animals	p. 178
Hibernation and Denning Cycles in Groundhogs and Bears	p. 179
Activity Cycles of Small Mammals: Shrews, Moles, Mice, and Flying Squirrels	p. 182
Common Nocturnal Omnivores: Raccoons, Skunks, and Opossums	p. 185
Rarely Seen Large Carnivores: Foxes, Coyotes, Bobcats, Mountain Lions, and Otters	p. 189
Eyeshine of Nocturnal Animals	p. 192
Rabies Epidemics	p. 192
Cycles of Bird Irruptions	p. 193
Birdsong and the Cycles of Territoriality versus Foraging Flocks	p. 195
Reproductive Cycles that Begin in Winter: Wood Frogs and Great Horned Owls	p. 201
Climatic Conditions in Winter	p. 204
Sidebars
Effects of Global Warming	p. 22
Fishing in Trout Rivers	p. 27
Ramps Harvests	p. 45
Fire Ants and Global Warming	p. 53
Please Do Not Dig Orchids	p. 55
Photovoltaic Cells: Humanity's Photosynthesis?	p. 58
Caterpillar Circular Logic	p. 64
Hummingbirds and Feeders	p. 67
Poison Ivy Potion	p. 72
Threats to Pitcherplants	p. 78
Wasps as Friends, Not Foes	p. 89
Treatment for Squash Borers	p. 90
Silk Shirts from Worms!	p. 99
Cool Night Lights	p. 105
Fewer Fireflies?	p. 106
Color Perception in Humans	p. 125
Hawk Migration Sites	p. 142
Bat Conservation	p. 147
Monarch Migration Locations	p. 151
Human Effects on Monarchs	p. 152
Woolly Worms and Weather Predictions	p. 155
Invasive Species	p. 170
Old Coal and Fossil Fuels	p. 175
Lichens as Indicators of Air Quality	p. 178
Groundhog Day	p. 180
Help Black Bears and People	p. 181
"Bird" Feeders?	p. 185
Appendix: Federal Public Lands in the Southern Appalachians	p. 205
References	p. 207
Index	p. 215
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