Question

i need help answering these questions

3. How do the tree benefit numbers compare to the canopy and impervious surface values? How did the tree benefits in your watershed compare to the other watersheds selected? 4. How do the Transpiration and Rainfall Interception values relate to Runoff? For instance do you think if the Transpiration Increased the avoided Runoff would increase or decrease? 5. For the default Tree Planting scenario, how does your watershed compare to the other watersheds selected? Does it have a higher or lower priority for planting? What do you think is the primary cause of its priority level of your watershed? 6. What are ecosystem services? Give 3 examples of ecosystem Services different from the ecosystem services provided by tree cover as discussed in this lab, Introduction Picturing your Watershed 87

Answer 1

3. Tree are important as they have a number of roles to play in the preservation of various other components of environment. Tree numbers have increased the extension of the canopies that have formed and they help in restoring the surface stability and preservation of the top soil amd prevent the exposure of  impervious layer of the soil. Due to the trees, the soil is held strongly and the fertile top soil is not washed off. The vegetative surfaces and the tree canopies help in protecting the soil layers from direct hit by the rainfall or the sunlight that might cause erosion or runoff of the top soil layer. The shade and tree litter beneath the canopy help promote infiltration of precipitation that reaches the ground beneath the tree, providing moisture to the tree roots.

Watersheds are the lands through which water flows and reaches the stream. With the tree canopies present, the impervious layers, as explained earlier, are not exposed and the watersheds that allows water to flow through land and not collect pollutants or other toxic components while flowing into the stream.

4. Trees with the help of transcription, interception and evaporation, helps in restoring some of the water from the environment and releasing them to the atmosphere to cause the water cycle and rainfall that would help in maintaining the water balance of the nature. Runoff occurs when the water is not stored or held on the earth's surface and flows back to the stream or rivers. The trees help in reducing the runoff by increasing the transpiration and interception rates by withholding the water on the surface and sending some amout back to the atmosphere.Larger canopies intercept greater amounts of precipitation because there is more surface area available for water molecules to adhere to.

6. Ecosystem services:-

These are the benefits which people obtain from the environment. These are the ecological processes or functions which have value to individuals or societies. There are four broad categories of ecosystem services- Provisioning, Regulating, Suppporting and Cultural.

Three examples of ecosystem services are-

1. Regulation of the diseases
2. Inspirational or Cultural heritage that inherit the non-material benefits of the ecosystem
3. Primary production that are necessary for all forms of production from the ecosystem

P.S. I could'nt answer no.5 as I don't know what kind of watershed you considered for the lab study. Let me know in the comments if you can and I will surely answer it there itself.