Tree layer:
The most mature and larger trees, they cast a very decent shade because of the leafs growing on them. So because of that, only a few plants survive underneath.
Shrub layer:
Smaller trees, or younger than the most taller ones, they grow under low light conditions, this enables them to increase the are on the surface to trap light.
Field layer:
Best developed where substantial amounts of light reach the woodland floor.
Ground layer:
Consist of a great variety of different mosses, it might include ivy growing along the ground rather than climbing up in trees, this area is less developed in the drier woods.
Major Physical Characteristics
Soil:
Woodland soils are often very different from those found elsewhere , due to origin and history. The resulting soils can be layered, patchy and complex, and they are likely to be alive with fungi, insects, microbes and worms. Soils may be one of the most critical elements in an old wood’s ecology but they are difficult to identify positively. The presence of other ancient woodland features plus abundant fungi in autumn or other observations that point to a lack of disturbance can be associated with their presence.
Temperature:
The temperature in woodlands can vary depending on the different locations, but normally, a woodland’s temperature would be -40 as the coldest and 100 as the hottest.
Precipitation:
Precipitation in woodlands variates between 27 inches per year.
Websites
http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/woodland_manage/whatis2.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrubland
http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/woodland_manage/struct.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland
Woodland/Scrubland
Sofia Lengua
Stephanie Eugster
Other intersting facts
"Scrub" means low shrubs, mixed with grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Scrublands are sometimes known as heathlands. Scrublands may develop naturally or as result of human activity. They may be the mature vegetation type in a particular region and remain stable over time, or a transitional community that occurs temporarily as the result of a disturbance, such as a major fire.
Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It may be the mature vegetation type in a particular region and remain stable over time, or a transitional community that occurs temporarily as the result of a disturbance, such as fire. Shrubland may be unsuitable for human habitation because of the danger of fire.
Desert scrublands occur in the world's deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregions, or in areas of fast-draining sandy soils in more humid regions. These scrublands are characterized by plants with adaptations to the dry climate.
Mediterranean scrublands occur naturally in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biomes, located in the five Mediterranean climateregions of the world. Scrublands are most common near the seacoast, and have often adapted to the wind and salt air of the ocean.
Animals
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In the woodland areas there are all sorts of animals like: the beavers, squirrels, chipmunks. Also Ground beetles hunt the woodland floor in search of smaller prey. ALl the Song birds fly through the tree canopy looking for insects and small invertebrates. Sparrowhawks, hunt the small birds.You cant forget about the fox and badger.
In the southern part of britain you might find a rare kind of animal which in many places is extinct. this animal is the Wild Boar.
There may also be animals like : rabbits, mountain lions, wolves, foxes and goats.
Plant life
The plants growing under the trees in a woodland can often be divided into a number of different layers according to their height. These layers may include an understorey, or shrub layer, of smaller trees which are adapted to grow under lower light conditions. In addition, a field layer of grasses, ferns and wildflowers and a ground layer, largely composed of mosses, may also be growing. Depending on the amount of shade cast by the trees, there´ll be one or more layers. The plant layers in a woodland will also influence the animals in the woodland.