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Quaking aspen: Difference between revisions
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== Reproduction == | == Reproduction == | ||
Quaking aspens reproduce via sexual and asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is rare because conditions have to be just right for the seeds to germinate and survive. Aspens are dioecious, meaning that the male and female organs are carried on different individuals, but there seems to be a majority of male plants. Quaking aspens first flower when they are 10-20 years old and reach a production peak around 50 years old. The flowers are contained in catkins (see Anatomy)and are pollinated by the wind. The seeds are | Quaking aspens reproduce via sexual and asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is rare because conditions have to be just right for the seeds to germinate and survive. Aspens are dioecious, meaning that the male and female organs are carried on different individuals, but there seems to be a majority of male plants. Quaking aspens first flower when they are 10-20 years old and reach a production peak around 50 years old. The flowers are contained in catkins (see Anatomy) and are pollinated by the wind. The seeds are dispersed by the wind, some up to several miles, and they can also be scattered by water in aquatic environments. A single quaking aspen can produce 1.6 million seeds every year, and larger crops are produced in 2-3 or 4-5 year intervals. The seeds can only survive with suitable temperatures (39-98 degrees Fahrenheit), nutrient-rich soil, and plenty of water. Seedlings produced by sexual reproduction provide diversity in an otherwise genetically identical or similar colony of trees. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] | ||
Asexual reproduction occurs through cloning. The extensive root system of a quaking aspen sends up shoots or suckers when there is an area of sunlight. A mature system of roots can produce 400,000 to 1 million suckers per acre. [http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/Fall99Projects/aspen.htm] These clone shoots are identical to the original aspen, but is an individual tree. A grove of quaking aspens is commonly composed of a variety of widespread, interconnected clones. Most clones grow within 25 or even 80-100 ft. of the parent tree. Clonal colonies survive for many years, some estimated to be hundreds or even thousands of years old! Quaking aspens also sprout from root collars and stumps in asexual reproduction. [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/trees/populustrem.html] Aspen clones rely on occasional habitat disturbances to provide them with enough sunlight to survive. [http://bss.sfsu.edu/geog/bholzman/courses/Fall99Projects/aspen.htm] | |||
== Ecology == | == Ecology == | ||
