Emphasis will be placed on utilizing the scientific method to understand how forest ecosystems work and the application of this knowledge to sustain forest ecosystem function. The combined efforts of majors in biology with non-majors will uniquely illustrate the connections between scientific discovery and scientific application. We who chose to live at the urban-wilderness interface in southern California also chose to live with recurrent wildfire as a natural ecosystem process. We must not only respect the destructive capacity of wildfire and be prepared for such events, we must also learn to appreciate the important benefits of fire. Some seeds only germinate after detecting smoke from burning wood.
Many species vigorously resprout after shoots are consumed by flames.
The services rendered by the native plants that carpet the hillsides above our homes are numerous and are provided at low cost to humans. These native plants deter soil erosion, increase slope stability, return soil water to the atmosphere, provide cover and food for wild animals, are aesthetically pleasing, offer recreational activities, yet require no irrigation, clipping, or fertilizer. Many species are nitrogen fixers that help fertilize what is normally nutrient impoverished soils. Ecophysiological processes and demographic patterns in the structuring of California chaparral. Landscape Disturbance and Biodiversity in Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems.