Lien Speleers BioArea BE by

Theme 1

lien_speleers — 2019-02-05 20:57:24 UTC

Theme 2: Exploring biodiversity

lien_speleers — 2019-02-05 20:57:38 UTC

Step 1. activate prior knowledge-assess the problem:
answer: 3. the wolves were brought in because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen en cottonwood.

Theme 3: Threats to biodiversity in a changing climate

lien_speleers — 2019-02-05 20:57:47 UTC

1.2.3. Upper Belgium

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 20:47:30 UTC

The most sparsely populated and densely wooded part of the country, begins south of the Sambre and the Meuse at the Condroz plateau, a fertile area which is regarded primarily as a tourist attraction on account of the beautiful valleys of the Meuse and the Ourthe and its numerous historical monuments. Between the Vesder and the Meuse lies the Country of Herve which due to its rich clay soil is suitable for grazing and cattle rearing. To the south of the Condroz lies the area of Fagnes and Famenne, which, although a poor agricultural region, is well known for its many mysterious caves, the most interesting examples being those at Han-sur-Lesse and Remouchamps.
Further to the south are the Ardennes, a region alternating between a magnificent, wooded area with natural beech forests and specially grown fir trees, and plateaus and deep valleys.

_{The Ardennes (}_{https://www.belgium.be/nl/over_belgie/toerisme/ardennen}₎

1.2.1. Lower Belgium

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 21:20:36 UTC

begins in the west at the coast, with beaches and dunes which extends in a straight line for 65 km. Inland from the coast lie the 'polders'. This flat and fertile land used to suffer from flooding by the sea in the past but is now totally dry, thanks to the sluices which protect it from tidal erosion. Between the western polders, the Leie and the Scheldt, are the Flemish lowlands, a sandy region which is hilly in places such as the Kemmelberg and the Kluisberg. The Kempen lie in the east of the country, the soil is poor and the landscape comprises conifer woods, heathlands, ponds, marshes, pastures and corn fields.

_{The Kempen (}_{https://www.kempen.be/de-natuur}₎

1.2.2. Central Belgium

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 21:30:34 UTC

lies behind the Flemish lowlands and the Kempen, gradually rising to the Sambre and Meuse valleys, with its low and very fertile clay plateaus. The heavily urbanised Brabant has its own lush green carpet, the Sonian forest, a forest area and a remnant of the earlier Forest of Cologne, which covered a large part of the country in Roman times. Furthermore, central Belgium boasts Hainaut in the west and Hesbaye in the east, both fertile areas with large farms and extensive fields and pastures.

Sonian forest₍_{http://www.sonianforest.be/}₎

1.2. Major Geographical areas in Belgium

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 21:50:26 UTC

1. Lower Belgium (up to 100m above sea level)
2. Central Belgium (100-200m above sea level)
3. Upper Belgium (200-500m above sea level)

1.1. Situation

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 22:14:21 UTC

Belgium is situated in the west of Europe, bordered to the north by the Netherlands, to the east by Germany and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to the south and the west by France. Although its surface area of 30,528 km2 makes it a small country, its location has made it the economic and urban nerve centre of Europe.

Belgium does not belong to a biodiversity hotspot area.
There are no mountains or volcanoes.

1.3.Climate

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 22:17:10 UTC

*maritime temperate
*average temperature:

lowest in january (3°C)
highest in july (18°C)

*average preciptation per month: 54-78 mm

1.4. Endemic species

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 22:42:30 UTC

Belgium has few endemic species: http://lntreasures.com/belgium.html.
One of the world’s rarest grass species, the ‘Brome of the Ardennes’ (Bromus bromoideus) was until recently considered extinct. However, fresh, green shoots emerging from recently discovered seeds at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium, are causing quite a stir among European botanists in Belgium’s 175^th anniversary of independence.

1.5. Damaging human activities

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 23:00:19 UTC

Belgium has a high population density and the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding, and crop cultivation, air and water pollution.

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 23:10:35 UTC

Nature reserves in Flanders (northern Belgium)

lien_speleers — 2019-02-09 23:12:21 UTC

Nature reserves in Wallonia (southern Belgium)

2.1. Animals with predator-prey relation

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 10:20:08 UTC

2.2.Parasitic organisms

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 10:45:36 UTC

*The common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) is a brood parasite it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. A female may visit up to 50 nests during a breeding season.
*Greater broomrape (Orobanche rapum-genistae) is a parasitic perennial plant that gains all is nourishment from other plants (common broom). It is a rare and protected species in Belgium.

2.3. Two characteristic animals and their ecological niche

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 11:31:51 UTC

*European hare lives in open fields with scattered brush for shelter. Hares are primarily nocturnal and spend a third of their time foraging. During daytime, a hare hides in a depression in the ground called a "form" where it is partially hidden. It forages in groups and feeds mainly on grasses and herbs, supplementing these with twigs, buds, bark and field crops, particularly in winter. Their natural predators include large birds of prey, canids and felids. They rely on high-speed endurance running to escape predation, having long, powerful limbs and large nostrils. The female nests in a depression on the surface of the ground. The breeding season lasts from January to August. The European hare is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because it has a wide range and is moderately abundant. However, populations have been declining in mainland Europe since the 1960s, at least partly due to changes in farming practices.

*The red squirrel is in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands. The red squirrel eats mostly the seeds of trees, fungi, nuts, berries, young shoots and more rarely also bird eggs or nestlings. Excess food is put into caches, either buried or in nooks or holes in trees, and eaten when food is scarce. The squirrel makes a nest out of twigs in a branch-fork, forming a domed structure about 25 to 30 cm in diameter. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. The active period for the red squirrel is in the morning and in the late afternoon and evening. It often rests in its nest in the middle of the day, avoiding the heat and the high visibility to birds of prey that are dangers during these hours.

2.4. Niche partitioning

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 13:57:20 UTC

The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) and the great tit (Parus major) share the same habitat with a different ecological niche. Eurasian blue tit eats smaller insects and uses smaller nest holes to avoid competition with the great tit.

1.6. Protected nature reserves

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 14:16:12 UTC

Apparently only < 10% of the total Belgian area; lots of habitat fragmentation, especially in Flanders.
https://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/belgie-telt-ruim-500-beschermde-natuurgebieden-b893eaae/?referer=https://www.google.com/&referer=

2.5. Trophic pyramid

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 20:57:13 UTC

3.1 Habitat loss

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 21:27:53 UTC

The once quite large last population of black grouse in Belgium, in the high fens, is dying out due to habitat loss. The main causes are climate change, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, forestation of heathland and peat areas, the disappearance of birch storage and the construction of spruce plantations.

3.2. Wildlife overexploitation

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 21:27:58 UTC

Overfishing in the North Sea
In 2017 the Flemish government has set a fishing quota that is 10 percent higher than the official recommendation by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). In concrete terms this means that Flemish fishermen caught > 3,000 tons of fish too much that year, as a result the survival of many fish species in the North Sea is increasingly threatened.
https://www.demorgen.be/binnenland/-vlaamse-overbevissing-brengt-noordzee-mee-uit-balans-ba58e95f/?referer=https://www.google.com/

3.3. Species on the IUCN list of threatened species

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 21:28:52 UTC

1421 Belgian plant and animal species are on the IUCN Red List

3.4. Invasive Alien Species

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 21:30:13 UTC

The list of Invasive Alien Species in Belgium includes 101 species

3.5. Possible signs of climate change

lien_speleers — 2019-02-10 21:31:08 UTC

The annual total number of days with snow in Belgium is declining

lien_speleers — 2019-02-11 20:06:50 UTC

The small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) used to be one of the most common butterflies in Belgium but in recent years the species has been declining. Summer drought probably one of the causes. During periods of drought, the butterfly experiences a vastly reduced reproductive rate. The drought directly affects the leaves of Urtica, the plant on which the larvae feed; the higher the nitrogen and water level in the leaves, the more rapid the growth of the larvae. During a drought, both of these levels drop significantly, leaving the tortoiseshell larvae nothing to feed on. Whiteout sufficient rainfall in the early summer, the plants will not be able to fully develop, leaving the larvae without a suitable source of nutrition. The butterflies actively produce smaller broods under these conditions. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_tortoiseshell)