Forested Back Dune
Abiotic Conditions
Each part of the dunes have different abiotic conditions that make them unique from each other and only certain types of species can live in each section. The forested back dune has cooler sand and air temperatures from the hind-dune and foredune. There is also more humidity in the back dune and a slower wind speed from the trees blocking it. In a soil percolation test of the soils it was shown that it takes longer for the water to be completely gone than in the foredune because there is more water in the soil of the back dune. There are also more nutrients than in the other areas of the dunes so more species can grow there, making the diversity higher.
Adaptations for Survival
The sections of the dunes are very different from each other; therefore, the species of plants and animals that inhabit each area have to adapt to live in each one. In the forested back dune there is a lot of shade underneath the top canopies of the trees with not much vegetation on the ground. On the ground there is a lot of moisture with many decomposing logs and leaves covering the top layer of soil. Many plants that are able to survive in the back dune either have to be shade tolerant or grow tall enough to be in the top canopy. These taller plants such as maple and beech trees use gap ecology, where the younger trees that have germinated below grow only a foot tall in the shade until a taller tree dies or falls over. After the fallen tree creates a gap of sun light it allows the younger ones to shoot up and mature. Some of the animals that live in the back dune are amphibians that are adapted to living in moist area; most of them can be found on the lower area of the back dune near water and decomposing logs.
Plant and Animal Inhabitants
Beech Tree
Beech trees are known for their smooth bark that people say looks like an elephant's leg sticking down from the trees. The top branches of the trees make up the canopy of the back dune and are a type tree that germinates easily so more of beech trees can grow and not be taken over by other types of plants. The leaves of the beech tree (as shown in right picture below) are oval-shaped with teeth looking ridges jutting out along the sides. There are also symmetric groves that run from the center of the leaf to the outside. A threat to beech trees is the fact that their bark is so smooth many people will carve into the bark. This carving of the bark might look cool but it is very harmful to the trees because of the vascular tissues of the tree that transport nutrients and water are located right under the bark. Therefore, when you carve into the bark those vein and lines are severed and can't be fixed so the water cannot travel up that part of the bark. Then if the whole tree is carved around then that tree is going to die due to lack of nutrients and water.
White Oak
White Oaks are similar to younger red oaks, but the main difference between the two is that the white oak has "two toned" leaves; with a bright green on top and a paler color beneath. The leaves at the end, instead of arrowheads, are lobes that are rounded off. The white oaks are intermediate shade tolerant, which means they can grow in some shade but they lean towards needing more sunlight. Therefore, these trees are found in the canopy with the younger ones growing in some shade.
Maple
The main way to identify a maple tree is by its leaf that has 3 sharp points that are the most prominent with smaller points running up along the sides. It is more commonly known through it being the leaf on the Canadian flag. This tree is found in more mature areas of the forested back dune and makes up the top canopy. It germinates easily in the shade, meaning younger plants wait in the shade waiting for their opportunity to grow when a gap of sunlight opens up.
Northern (Canadian) Hemlock
The northern hemlock is shade tolerant and is found on the north facing slopes of dunes where there is more shade. Their needles that are about 1 cm long and are in clusters made up of one needle can be used to identify them. These needles on the branches also grow only along the side instead of all around, and as they get older they turn a darker green. It is also identified by its pinecones that are only 5/8-1 inches long, which is small for a conifer.
White Pine
The white pine is moderately shade tolerant, so it can live in some shade and some sunlight. The white pine has thin smooth bark with their needles bring in clusters of 5 along the branches. The white pines also have fast growing and long-lived cylindrical seed cones. This seed cones are a least twice as long as wide, flexible, and have unarmed cone scales. A white pine can also have sap along the tree.
Moss
Moss is smaller and shorter plant because it does not have vascular tissue inside the plant to transport the water far enough to grow tall. It is mainly found in acidic soil or on decomposing trees. For its reproduction it grows two stems, one with the male genes (taller) and one with the female genes (shorter). When moss reproduces it is by chance because a raindrop has to hit the male stem just right so it gets the male genes and bounces down onto the female stem to make its seeds.
Fern
Ferns are plants that mainly grow in clusters with a lot of tiny leaves. There are many different types of ferns that are classified by the pattern and number of spores underneath the leaves of the plant. Ferns tend to grow along the area where a tree was decomposed and had put more nutrients back into the soil. Due to them growing in these areas, many times the ferns can be seen growing in a row where the tree used to be. A lot of times the ferns can be seen growing along the north side more so then the south side of dune because of the fact that ferns are shade tolerant.
Fowlers Toad
The Fowlers Toad is similar to the American Toad except the Fowlers Toad is slightly smaller with subtle distinguishing features that make it different. The Fowlers Toad has three or more warts on its back with a dark spot in each wart. The colors of the toad can be gray, greenish gray, or brown with a few rusty colors in them. These are found in the lower parts of the back dune because they favor flood plains and woodland borders where there is a source of water near by and moist ground.
Wood Thrush
en.wikipedia.org
The wood Thrush is mainly found in the trees of the back dune because the area has moist ground, understory cover, and sometimes running water in the interdunal troughs. The size of the wood thrush is 18-21.5 cm long with a wingspan of 30 to 40 cm and a body mass of 48 to 72 grams. The wood thrush is identified by it having a cinnamon-brown crown, nape, and upper back while the back of the wings and tail are slightly duller. The belly and breast of the wood thrush are white with large dark brown spots. They also have white-eye rings and pink legs. The female and male of this bird are similar in their sizes and plumage, but the younger birds have more spots on their breasts than the adults.
Click here to hear its call
Click here to hear its call
Spider Wasp
waynesword.palomar.edu
Spider Wasp can sting, so be careful, they will sting you. The spider wasp usually create their nest in the soil or in a rotten tree. Spider wasps hover around flowers or the ground on its hunt for spiders. Once the spider wasp finds a prey, it paralyzes the prey then usually brings it to its nest to feed it to its larva, unless the spider gets away, it only has approximately 3 weeks to live.
Red Oak
There are two types of oaks, white and red, and the only way that you can tell the difference between the two when your out in the woods is by the leaves. The way to tell which oak is red is by the tips of the leaves; in the picture below you can see that the tips of the red oak leaves have a red arrow on them. This is remembered through the saying redskins make (red) arrowheads. These trees are found in places that have a lot of sunlight and also make up the top canopy of the forested back dune.
Sassafras
The most unique thing about a sassafras tree is that it has 3 completely different leaves growing on the plant. The first leaf (furthest left on picture below) has a main part that is oval-shaped with a smaller one jutting out on the side, almost like a mitten. The second (center leaf) has three ovals connected to the stem. The third leaf (far right leaf) is just simply an oval-shaped leaf. Sassafras trees also tend to grow in clusters, due to more than one trees being connected to each other by their roots. This happens from nodules on the roots that shoot up and grow new plants. This plant is mostly found in transitional areas, the edges of the forested back dune, where there is both shade and sunlight.