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Skip to Search Results- 1Blanchet, Guillaume
- 1Brachmann, Cole Garrett
- 1Clason, Alana
- 1Crisfield, Varina
- 1Doyle, Amanda
- 1Mayor, Stephen J
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Shrub encroachment in arctic and alpine tundra: Patterns of expansion and ecosystem impacts.
DownloadFall 2011
With a warming climate, northern ecosystems will face significant ecological changes such as permafrost thaw, increased frequency of forest fires, and shifting ecosystem boundaries including the spread of canopy-forming shrubs into tundra communities. A growing number of observations show...
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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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Overstory and understory dynamics of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) ecosystems of northwestern British Columbia
DownloadFall 2010
Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) is declining across its range due to disturbances such as mountain pine beetle and white pine blister rust. In this thesis, I assess the response and vulnerability of whitebark pine ecosystems to multiple stressors and disturbances at the northern edge of...
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Examining the impact of climate change on snowshoe hare demography and community interactions in the northern boreal forest
DownloadSpring 2020
Ecologists are under increasing pressure to predict the influence of climate change on species demography along with the broader impacts on community and ecosystem structure. Predicting community responses to climate change, however, is a formidable challenge, that can be ameliorated by...
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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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A Functional Approach Reveals Zooplankton Responses to Environmental Change in Mountain Lakes
DownloadFall 2017
Concern is increasing over the future cumulative impacts of multiple stressors on freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem function, especially in alpine environments where climatic warming increases with elevation. Here, consideration of individual species traits enables translation of changes in...
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The roles of temperature and host plant interactions in larval development and population ecology of Parnassius smintheus Doubleday, the Rocky Mountain Apollo butterfly
DownloadFall 2011
Alpine environments are harsh and unpredictable. Exogenous factors such as weather might therefore be expected to dominate processes affecting population dynamics of alpine organisms, relative to endogenous factors including plant-animal interactions. The alpine butterfly Parnassius smintheus...
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Fall 2014
Canada’s boreal forest is the breeding ground for some 288 species of resident and migratory birds. Approximately 65% of the species that are currently of highest conservation priority in the boreal region are associated with wetlands and riparian areas. Although estimates vary with scale and...
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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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Characteristics of alpine plants and soils along an elevational gradient, Northern Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia
DownloadSpring 2019
Rates of climate change are accelerated at higher elevations, a pattern termed elevation-dependent warming (EDW). Consequently, the impacts of climate change on community patterning and soil development may be particularly evident in alpine environments. Alpine ecotone boundaries, such as...