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>>>I wonder if Linke talked about European
Beech. Beech is a very common tree all over Northern
Europe.I haven't seen many Beech trees in the US though.I wonder if the US Beeches are the same species than the European ones? <<< Curtis does mention the European oaks in his book but only in
terms of the macro effect on the forest habitat type and not a the micro genetic
similarities or differences. So a Wisconsin Southern Xeric Forest habitat,
which is dominated by oaks, has comparable but slightly different counterparts
in other parts of the nation and in Europe. But the actual species and
relative percentages of species dominance differs between these geographical
areas. But he does not discuss the actual differences between the similar
species, other than the reference to beech leaves I mentioned earlier. And
here he only alludes to a possible comparison.
He also goes into subhabitats and the relative role different
species play within them. For example, there are many different species of
oaks that can be part of the Southern Xeric Forest. Some species are more
fire tolerant, others may be more shade tolerant. Each of these attributes
help decide which will dominate a habitat given the habitat's condition.
Secession also plays a role in the make up a well. So Burr oaks may
dominate a habitat that has suffered a burn because they are more fire
tolerant. But They'll give way to other species that may be better suited
to the area in the absence of subsequent fires.
But again, none of the differences between the species of oaks
he describes goes into whether the leaf chemistry might be different, which
would really be of interest to us. :-)
The book is very interesting, but VERY hard to read through
for us folks not used to reading research type of writings. Lots of
citations, scientific names and species population counts. But if you
persist, there's a lot of good information to learn. My copy is a
interlibrary loaner that's due Saturday. I've already extended it once so
I don't think they'll let me do it again. I may actually go out a buy a
copy ($44) as it's still in print, which is a good sign of it's accuracy and
value. University of Wisconsin, Madison, where Curtis taught, still uses
it as a text book for several of the courses, including on that based solely on
the book.
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