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Ross Reid, aka Nerdy About Nature 🌲🤓🤙
@nerdyaboutnature

273,887 followers

Ahh Red Alder, such a gorgeous and highly underrated tree here in Cascadia! You typically see Red Alders (Alnus rubra) alongside roadways, rivers, streams or in wetlands like this here because these are all areas of recent or frequent disturbance to the forest ecosystem, and Alders are known as pioneer species, meaning they tend to be the first trees to colonize these areas after a disturbance and they have a crucial role to play here. See, the main limiting factor of growth for many trees is lack of nitrogen which is used to create chlorophyl for photosynthesis, and disturbances like development, landslides, logging, etc tend to strip the soils away from nitrogen fairly quickly, especially in areas where it rains a bunch. Thankfully though, Red Alders have a trick up their sleeves, or their roots rather, where they work symbiotically with a bacteria known as Frankia spp. that lives in the swollen root nodules of the Alder where it receives home and protection from predators, and in return it synthesizes atmospheric nitrogen from the air into ammonia which the Alder is able to absorb. Typically when deciduous trees lose their leaves in the fall, they extract the all valuable nutrients like chlorophyl to store them through the winter for next spring, which is what causes the changing colors of leaves, but since Alders can get nitrogen so easily, they don’t even bother! They drop their leaves earlier than most other trees when they’re still green and full of chlorophyl, so that when they’re broken down by fungi and insects on the forest floor it creates a rich humus that allows for all others to grow. So without Alders coming in as first generation successors to an area of recent disturbance, the forest ecosystem wouldn’t be able to grow as rich because the soil would lack the critical nutrients necessary for conifers like western red cedars to grow big and strong in a healthy climax forest. Thanks, Alders! Nerdy About Nature is a passion project that relies on support from folks like you! If you’re enjoying these vids, please consider becoming a patron via link in bio for as little as 1$ per month! 🤙 #alder #funfacts #nature #education #eco #forest #whoa