The cottonwood, along with willows, are part of the Salicaceae family. The trees grow very fast and range from from 40-80 feet in height. Their bark is thick, grey and rough and their branches spread out widely. Cottonwood trees need rich soil to grow, so they rarely grow far away from water. They are found near riverbanks, lakes, and irrigation ditches. The branches create nesting sites for river fishing offspreys, bald eagles, and herons. In the environment of a cottonwood tree you may find other organisms such as moose, elk, buffalo, deer, and many bird species like ducks, sandhill cranes, and eagles. Cottonwood trees are very tolerant to flooding, erosion, and fire so many cottonwood trees live to be over 100 years old. On the other hand, dence thickets of shrubs can cut off their sun supply which, as seedlings, they need partial to full exposion to. When this happens they die quickly. The wide and shiny green leaves that spread out from their branches are fed on by caterpillars. Cottonwood leaves are a lime green color during the summer, and in the fall they turn a bright yellow. The sun plays a key role in this change in coloration. During this time cottonwood trees require even more water to keep healthy.
Many animals rely on cottonwood trees. For example, there is a symbiotic relationship between beavers, and cottonwood trees. Beavers thrive on the soft wood of the cottonwood tree, to build dams. Cottonwood trees are negatively affected by the beavers niche, because in turn the tree is eventually killed.
1 comment:
Good information, however, the organization of information could improve the clarity of your paper. For example, keeping all of the physical descriptions of the tree together and keeping all of the habitat requirements, and niche descriptions together, could definitely give the paper a better sense of direction.
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