Diario del proyecto Trees in Local Streets

The metasequoia glyptostroboides, commonly known as the dawn redwood, are in the Eukarya domain, located in the Plantae kingdom, specifically in the subkingdom Tracheobionta, and the superdivision of "seed plants" known scientifically as Spermatophyta. The dawn redwood is within the Coniferophyta division, the class Pinopsida and is a part of the Cupressaceae family. Common ancestors of the Metasequoia genus, and the dawn redwood, include the coast redwood and the giant sequoia.

The thicker, outer bark of coniferous trees, like those that can be found on Montreal's streets, is necessary for protecting the tree against environmental threats. For example, the ridged details of bark hold moisture, slow the rate of changing temperature, and regulate the tree's core temperature, protecting it from damage due to the cold. As well, the thick bark can act as a protectant against fires and parasitic fungi, bacteria or insects, preserving the inner core of the tree where vital processes such as the transport of sugar and nutrients in the tree's phloem occur.

The Kentucky Coffeetree is a member of the legume family Fabaceae that germinates via thick oval seeds protected by a hard, often impermeable cover. Ecologists and botanists believe that the thick impermeable pod of the Kentucky Coffeetree was an adaptation that coincided with the Mastodon's existence, an extinct species that is believed to share an ancestor with the Elephant. These pods' impermeability would protect the seeds as they were digested by the Mastodon, allowing for seed dispersal of the Kentucky Coffeetree to be extended to the vast distances travelled by Mastodon populations.

All the observations I have made about trees on my local streets have one thing in common: the bark being adapted to certain climates. Thick bark exists among trees that are from drier, temperate forests whereas smooth, thin bark is for high humidity in tropical rainforests. The thick bark helps limit moisture evaporation from the tree trunk whereas trees that did not need to adapt to drier climates have thin bark. One observation I focused on was the white spruce tree. It is has adapted to be cone shaped to allow snow to fall off of it to prevent an accumulation of snow that could collapse the tree.

Eukary > plants > vascular plants > pinales > pineceae > picea > picea glauca > white spruce

One adaptive feature that all trees have in common are leaves that are structurally adapted to fit the dry (xeric), moist (mesic), or wet (hydric) environment of the tree. For example, trees in a dry habitat will adapt to decrease water loss by reducing the surface area of their leaves. Additionally, stomata will be located deeper in the surface of the leaf. One of my ten observations was the Callery Pear (Pyrus Calleryana), which is an invasive species native to China. One unique adaptation of the Callery Pear that contributes to its success as an invasive species is its ability to form very dense thickets that push out other plants that try to compete with it for resources. According to a phylogenetic tree, the Callery Pear is classified (from most general to most specific) in the domain Eukarya, the kingdom of plants, the phylum of vascular plants, the class of Eudicots, the order of roses, figs, and other nettles, the family of roses, the genus of pears (pyrus), and finally the species of Pyrus Calleryana.

Eukarya -> Plants -> Vascular Plants -> Eudicots -> Roses, Figs, Nettles -> Roses -> Pears -> Pyrus Calleryana