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White Oak Trees Research Paper

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The autumn attack of oak trees will soon begin as acorns plummet with a thud upon rooftops, cars…and our heads. With winter soon approaching, animals will begin hoarding this valuable food resource. Employing one of the two strategies, animals will begin constructing either a central food cache, or larder, that they vigorously defend or create many different food caches, usually with a single food item. According to the University of Georgia’s School of Forestry, over 20 of the 400 species of oak trees (Quercus spp.) are native to Georgia. With the genus further subdivided into red and white oak categories, white oaks generally produce leaves with rounded lobes and include species such as live (Quercus virginiana), post (Quercus stellata), and overcup (Quercus lyrataI). Red oaks, which include water, (Quercus nigra), black (Quercus velutina), and turkey oaks (Quercus laevis), generally have leaves with pointed lobes. Besides the shapes of their …show more content…

From these large, nut-like seeds, mighty trees can grow. White acorns tend to be long and narrow, rather than fat and round like red acorns. They also have a crown or cap that covers about one-quarter of the body. Whereas, red acorn caps are nearly flat on top. Furthermore, being relatively high in carbohydrates, they are a significantly concentrated source of energy. Yet, acorns are not the same in terms of nutritional content or tastiness. Acorns produced by different species of oak trees are in fact quite different. White acorns are generally more palatable to animals than red oak acorns because they contain fewer tannins, which is a bitter-tasting chemical that functions to protect the acorn from insects and animals. Although acorns from the red oaks tend to be higher in fat, protein, calories, and fiber than do acorns from white oaks, the astringent quality (what causes you to pucker when you eat unripe fruit) of the red makes them less

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