Types of Habitat

Woodlands are habitats dominated by tall trees.

Within a woodland, different niches can be defined based on plant height:

• Canopy of tall trees.

• Understory of shrubs and shorter trees

• Field layer of roughly knee-high plants

• Ground layer of mosses and ivies.

Also think about light gradients, from open clearings to dappled sunlight to deep shade.

On the Siena campus, we have woodland behind Snyder, behind the Mac, and in several other pockets on campus, i.e. between the Mac and the residence halls.

The edges of wooded areas are ecologically different from the interior. Edges could be especially smart to focus on if there are no trails giving you access to the interior.

All of the wooded area on campus have good access to both the interior and the edge.

A riparian zone is the narrow strip on either side of a stream or creek. The vegetation in this zone is ecologically distinct from areas farther from the water.

On the Siena campus, a stream runs through the woods behind Snyder.

A meadow is any unmowed area with a mix of grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers.

On the Siena campus, we have meadow near the Rugby fields.

Believe it or not, unmowed “roadside” habitats are perfectly good places to do a project! As long as you can be a safe distance from traffic.

On the Siena campus, we have roadside habitats along Spring St. (Avoid Fiddler’s Lane, the curves make it dangerous for traffic)

A wetland is any habitat with standing water most of the time. They are often dominated by native cattails, or the invasive reed Phragmites.

On the Siena campus, Phragmites is what grows near the Thomsen Trail. We have other patches of cattail along Turchi road and near the Kuhn house behind the MAC.