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A bryophyte perspective on forest harvest: The effects of logging on above- and below-ground bryophyte communities in coastal temperate rainforests
DownloadSpring 2013
This thesis examines patterns in bryophyte species richness and composition on the forest floor and in the soil diaspore bank of temperate rainforest stands which varied in time post-harvest. Quantitative data (abundance) was assessed in quadrats (25x25cm) on soil, decaying logs, and tree bases...
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Benthic Responses to Nitrogen and Phosphorus Deposition on Alpine Ponds in Banff National Park: A Replicated Whole-Ecosystem Experiment
DownloadFall 2012
Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorous (P) deposition at high elevations has increased by 40% over the last fifteen years, causing concern for the 3000+ alpine ponds in Banff National Park. A novel whole-ecosystem experiment was used to test for the effects of elevated N and P deposition on benthic...
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Conservation and ecology of bryophytes in partially harvested boreal mixed-wood forests of west-central Canada
DownloadFall 2010
This thesis examined the efficacy of residual forest structure for the preservation and recovery of bryophytes five to six years after partial canopy harvest in boreal mixed-wood forests of northwestern Alberta, Canada. Bryophytes were sampled in two forest types that differed in pre-harvest...
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Spring 2016
After decades of recent fire exclusion in southern Alberta, Canada, forests are progressively aging and landscape mosaics are departing from their historical conditions. A large-scale fire history study spanning three natural subregions: Subalpine, Montane and Upper Foothills, was undertaken to...
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Fall 2009
This study investigates the interactions between carbon dioxide, climate, and glaciers of the Canadian Rockies under a relatively conservative IPCC emission scenario for the 21st century through the use of the PSU/NCAR MM5 mesoscale model (MM) nested within the Princeton GFDL global...
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Spring 2014
The worldwide biodiversity crisis has intensified the need to better understand how biodiversity and human disturbance are related. Yet this relationship lacks both consensus in theoretical expectations and consistency in observed empirical patterns. I present one of the largest extent studies...
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Limited impacts of extensive human land use on dominance, specialization, and biotic homogenization in boreal plant communities
Download2015-01-01
Mayor, S. J., Boutin, S., He, F., Cahill, J. F.
Background Niche theory predicts that human disturbance should influence the assembly of communities, favouring functionally homogeneous communities dominated by few but widespread generalists. The decline and loss of specialists leaves communities with species that are functionally more similar....
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Scaling Disturbance Instead of Richness to Better Understand Anthropogenic Impacts on Biodiversity
Download2015-01-01
Mayor, S. J., Cahill, J. F., He, F., Boutin, S.
A primary impediment to understanding how species diversity and anthropogenic disturbance are related is that both diversity and disturbance can depend on the scales at which they are sampled. While the scale dependence of diversity estimation has received substantial attention, the scale...
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The impact of recreational activities on an alpine vascular plant community in the Canadian Rockies
DownloadFall 2010
Alpine tundra is notorious for its fragility and slow recovery following disturbance. Tourism is increasing in alpine areas, creating the need to improve our understanding of the impacts of recreation in these ecosystems. This study examined the impacts of hiking and off-highway vehicle use on...
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Spring 2016
Reclamation of northern disturbances is of increasing importance as industrial activities and associated infrastructure expands to accommodate growing human reliance on world ecosystems. Bryophytes are recognized as ecologically essential to northern ecosystems and effectively promoting their...