2.19.97
The Virtual WeedPatch
Biology & Ecology
habitat.html
Weedy Habitats
A habitat is the place, the site, the locality and particular type of
local environment occupied by weeds. As an Agronomist I think of habitats
mostly as crop production fields, like a field of corn early in the growing
season. In this course we will study weeds in crop fields as well as other
habitats.
Weeds are found everywhere, not just in corn fields. To learn and see more
about these places we try to manange weeds within, take a tour of these
other weed patches:
Spatial diversity of habitats:
Another essential part of understanding habitats is the scale that habitats
can exist at. For example, to a farmer trying to manage a field, there are
very big differences between habitats at the microsite scale and the field
scale. This example is the essence of site-specific crop and field management.
Are weed seedlings in the spring uniform over a field habitat or do they
exist in patches? Why?
Habitats exist at many spatial scales:
->Global
--->Continental
------>Region or State
--------->Landscape
------------>Farm
--------------->Field
------------------>Site
-------------------->Microsite
To gain an appreciation of physical scale of habitats:
Lets spend some time now and look at some concepts related to habitat:
