The forest is a plant-dominated community and has an environment different from outside the forest. The relationship between forest vegetation, wildlife and nature is so close that forests can be viewed as an ecological or ecosystem system. According to Odum (op cit) An ecosystem is a system in the realm of nature that contains living things (organisms) and an environment consisting of inanimate substances that affect each other, and between them the exchange of substances necessary to sustain life.
Forest ecology is an ecological branch that specializes in the study of forest communities or ecosystems. Forests can be studied in terms of Autekology and Synecology.
Autekology studies the ecology of a species of tree, or the influence of an environmental factor on the life and growth of one or more tree species. The nature of the investigation approaches the physiology of plants, such as research on tree growth or ecological physiology.
- Link Ecology with Other Science
Areas of science related to forest ecology:
.a. Plant taxonomy (floristic and dendrology)
Needed to recognize other types of trees and plants in the forest.
b. Geology and Geomorphology
Geological and feomorphological conditions affect the formation and properties of soil and the spread and life of plants.
Tofografi or relief affect the composition and fertility of forest stands, through differences in fertility and ground water conditions.
The high location causes different climates and affects the spread of plants.
c. Soil Science (Pedology)
Soil is called a growing place factor (edafologi). Soil types, their properties and circumstances affect the spread of vegetation, vegetation type, fertility and forest productivity.
d. Climatology
Climate is the most important factor affecting the spread of plants. The microclimate of a place affected by topographic conditions can affect the spread and growth of the tree.
e. Plant Geography
Used to study the pattern of dispersal of different types of trees in relation to the earth's physiological state, the composition and distribution of forest formations.
f. Physiology and Biochemistry
Learn about plant life processes, regarding biochemical processes that occur in plants and the environment
- Status of Forest Ecology in forestry science
forestry
Forest ecology is the most important basic science of silvicultural knowledge. Forest ecology studies forest as community or ecosystem. While Silviks more directed to silviculture (approaching autekologi).
The forest ecological aspects that are important for forestry are:
a. Studying the composition and structure of natural forests.
b. Studying the relationship of a growing place with:
(1) Forest composition and structure (2) Distribution of a tree species (3) Regeneration of forest or regeneration of trees (4) Grow and forest / tree forest (5) Phenology of trees.
c. Study the conditions for growing places for planting or regenerating natural forest tree species.
d. Studying the nutrient minerals cycle, water cycle
and metabolism.
e. Study the relationship between soil fertility, climate and other factors with forest productivity
- A. The Relationship of Plants in Forest Communities
A forest society is a group of tree-dominated plants that occupy a place of growth or habitat, where there is a mutual relationship between the herbs with each other and with its environment. Forest community units are called stands.
- Competition
In a vegetation society, such as forests, there is competition among individuals of a species or of different kinds, if they have the same needs, such as the need for soil mineral, water, light and space.
This competition leads to the formation of a certain form of plant society (Life form), the variety and the number of species and the number of individuals, according to the situation of the place of growth.
Certain tree species have a substance that can inhibit the growth of their own puppies. The inhibiting agent is called "allelopathy"
Allelopathy can be:
a. The release of substances from the roots to inhibit the growth of similar plants or other plants.
b. Plants remove the substance on the leaves which then washed rain water, this substance can inhibit the growth of other plants.
c. The plant contains a substance that at life does not react at all, but when the plant dies, the substance will be released and decomposed in the soil chemically or by microorganisms. Loose substances can affect the life of similar plants and other plants.
In tropical areas where rainfall is high, the effects of these substances may not be real because of rain-washing.
Examples of types that remove allelopathy;
- Pinus merkussi, leaf decidents can inhibit the growth of other species, only certain types that can survive, for example: kerinyuh (Eupatorium odoratum)
- Alang-alang, if an area is invaded by reeds. The tendency of Imperata for power is so great that the area is likely overgrown with alang-alang altogether.
As we all know that forests have a very important role. Forests play a role to maintain the balance of nature. In addition to maintaining a natural balance, there are many more functions that we can get from the forest