SECTION 1

1) Historically, what was the land area of Ontario that was classified as prairie?

Historically, Ontario had over 1000 square kilometres of tallgrass prairie.

2) Where should you not start a prairie restoration?

You should not start a prairie restoration where there is no historical evidence of a prairie community.

3) Identify three mammals and two birds that depend on the tallgrass prairie habitat.

Students could name any three of: Meadow vole, Common Shrew, Long-tailed weasel, American badger, Red fox, or Eastern cotton tail rabbit And any two of: Bobolink, Eastern meadowlark, or Savannah sparrow.

4) What soil type is produced underneath a prairie ecosystem?

Prairies produce deep, nitrogen rich agricultural soils.

5) When did prairie and grasslands first appear on the planet? What is the name of this geological time period?

Grasslands first made an appearance 54.9 million years ago during the Eocene phase of the Tertiary Period.

6) How did the use of prairies and grasslands evolve in human societies?

The Agrarian Revolution. This is when hunter-gatherers began the cultivation of cereal grains, which made for fixed settlements, and started trade and commerce.

7) What is a major global consequence of the destruction of prairies and an overuse of the remaining lands?

A major global consequence of prairie destruction and over use could be overgrazing and desertification, increased erosion and sediment loading in rivers and streams leading to the destruction of aquatic habitats, or disruption of the global nutrient and gas cycles leading to less carbon dioxide processing and adding to global warming.

8) Describe the role of fire in prairie ecology.

Fire regenerates prairie by suppressing non-prairie plants, clears dead plant material and creates a nutrient balance in favour of the prairie system.

9) Explain the difference between the impacts of grazing and overgrazing.

The impacts of grazing are positive as it helps to control invasive species that are not adapted to grazing. Grazing is essential to ensure a healthy prairie ecosystem. Over-grazing, destroys the plant communities, not giving them enough time to recover from the grazing. This leads to high soil erosion rates and eventually to the creation of deserts - desertification.

10) Why is the conservation of ecosystems important?

All of the systems on the earth are interconnected, and destruction of any habitat disrupts this balance. Any answer of why the conservation of ecosystems is important would be fine; conservation for human use later, biological diversity, wildlife, etc.

SECTION 2

1) List three of the major plant nutrients and what they are used for.

The major nutrients use in plant growth are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen are the basic components of plant tissues, and any organic compound. Nitrogen is needed in the production of proteins, nucleic acids and chlorophyll. Phosphorous creates the basis for the storage of energy. Potassium is needed to regulate the opening and closing of the stomata, the ‘breathing' of the plant and the ripening of the fruit, maturation of the plant.

2) Of the three major plant nutrients, which nutrient:

a) is more likely to be found in the organic matter rather than in the mineral section of the soil column?

About 95% of nitrogen is found in the organic matter within the soil column.

b) leads to a purple colour when the plant becomes deficient?

Phosphorous deficiency leads to purple plants.

c) leads to a yellow colour when the plant is deficient?

Nitrogen deficiency leads to chlorosis, turning plants yellow.

3) Consider that nitrogen is added to the soil in the form of compost, what are the major processes that would transform the nitrogen into a usable form for the plant?

The nitrogen would undergo the processes of mineralization, nitrification and immobilization.

4) As a seed develops into a seedling what happens to the endosperm?

The endosperm, like the cotyledon, is used as the major food storage for the growth of the seed, and so it gets used up as the seedling develops.

5) Locate and identify the following parts of a seed:

testa, cotyledons, plumule, and radicle.

6) What is the first structure to emerge from the seed?

The primary root is the first structure to emerge from the seed.

7) What does the number of cotyledons tell you about a plant?

The number of cotyledons on the seed determines whether the plant is classified as a monocot or dicot, the two classes of angiosperms.

8) What are the two different types of seed germination?

There is epigeous germination where the cotyledon is brought above the soil level, and hypogeous germination when the cotyledon remains below the soil level.

9) What are the two laws of thermodynamics? How do they relate to plant growth?

The first law of thermodynamics is that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only changed, and the second law states that the energy in the final state is always less that the energy in the initial state. This relates to plant growth by way of photosynthesis and general biological processes (or the food chain, but this is not related to plant growth) respectively.

10) What are the major differences between photosynthesis and respiration?

The main difference between photosynthesis and respiration is that photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and gives off oxygen, and respiration uses oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide. They occur in different cells (chloroplast and mitochondria respectively) and use each other's byproducts.

11) What are the two types of photosynthesis that can occur in prairie grasses and how did they evolve?

There is C3 photosynthesis and C4 photosynthesis involved in the prairie grasses. The C4 grasses are more efficient users of carbon dioxide and have evolved more recently than the C3 grasses. This evolution is thought to have been triggered by a decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the ensuing climate change.

12) Name two other important soil nutrients, other than the major three.

Any nutrient off Table 2.1 will do.

13) What are the defining characteristics of angiosperms?

Angiosperms are plants that reproduce by seeds, and these seeds are held within an ovary (a fruit).

14) Describe the process of double fertilization.

1) One pollen (male) nucleus (n) + one ovule (female) nucleus (n) = one zygote (2n)
2) One pollen (male) nucleus (n) + two haploid nuclei (n+n) = one endosperm nucleus (3n)

15) Fill in the missing parts of the flower.

16) Complete the diagram of the grass physiology.

17) What are the differences between a simple leaf, a compound leaf, a leaflet and a tendril?

A simple leaf has one blade, a compound leaf has many blades. Each sub-section of the compound leaf is a leaflet, and a tendril is a modified leaf which aids in support.

18) What is a minimum viable population? When and why is this term used?

A minimum viable population (MVP) is an estimate of the number of individuals of a species necessary to sustain a population. This term is used when trying to determine if the basic size limits of a restoration/conservation project.

19) What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is a measure of the number and abundance of different species within a community. It represents diversity at all levels of biological organization, from the community to the gene.

20) Why are time cycles important to consider when approaching a restoration project?

All systems have a beginning and an end. It is important to have a reasonable idea if whether the system that seems to be in trouble and in need of restoration/conservation is indeed in trouble. It could be that the system is simply nearing the end of it's cycle or it could be that it is disappearing because of human influences. Either way, a conservationist needs to have a general idea about which one the area in question fits into.

SECTION 3

1) What are some of the factors that are important when choosing a site for a tallgrass prairie restoration?

Site history, soil and moisture conditions, light availability, accessibility, existing cover, etc.

2) What is the difference between stratification and scarification? What seed condition makes these necessary for successful germination?

Stratification is an artificial period of dormancy used to trick the seeds into growing out of season. Scarification is the abrasion of the seed to increase moisture absorption. This helps during the stratification.

3) Describe three methods of scarification.

Three methods of scarification are:
1) rubbing the seeds between pieces of sand paper
2) shaking them in a container filled with sand and gravel, or lined with sand paper
3) using an acid solution to dissolve the seed coat

4) Name three C4 grasses that were covered on the summary sheets.

Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, or Prairie Cordgrass.

5) Describe the differences between cold season grasses and warm season grasses.

Cold season grasses start growing early in the spring, and continues to grow as long as cool weather continues, going dormant in the summer, and continuing in the fall. Warm season grasses start growing in mid-spring and prosper during the hot dry summer months.

6) What time of year should the cold season grasses be sown if started outside?

Without stratification, they should be sown soon after the days are too cool for growing, just before the frost, sometime at the beginning of November. With stratification, they should be planted in late June to early July.

7) Describe three of the necessary environmental conditions necessary for successful prairie growth.

Any of soil texture, soil drainage, pH, fertility, salinity, flood, or drought tolerances.

8) What are three of the key wildflowers used to fill out the necessary diversity for a healthy prairie ecosystem?

Any of Brown-eyed Susan, New England Aster, Gray Goldenrod, Wild Bergamot, Oswego Tea, Butterfly Weed, Cardinal Flower, or Flowering Spurge.

9) Describe the general sowing instructions for starting seedlings from seeds in a greenhouse.

1) Plant the seeds in plug trays using a soil-less mixture
2) Cover lightly and water as necessary, do not fertilize or let the seed bed dry out
3) Once the seedlings emerge, uncover, fertilize, and begin to expose them to outside conditions
4) Plant where you want!

10) What are the consequences of poor soil drainage? Why would a soil be poorly drained?

Drainage is important because water transports nutrients through the soil column, and as roots respire, they will drown if they are left in water-logged soil. A soil would be poorly drained if the pores between the soil grains (usually clay) are too small for water to pass between them.