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Skip to Search Results- 1Annich, Natasha C
- 1Archibald, Heather Anne
- 1Blanchet, Guillaume
- 1Bodeux, Brett B
- 1Clason, Alana
- 1Droghini, Amanda
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The effects of underplanted white spruce on understory environment and vegetation in aspen-dominated stands of the western boreal forest
DownloadSpring 2012
In the boreal forest of Alberta, Canada, underplanting white spruce (Picea glauca) in aspen (Populus tremuloides) forests attempts to address concerns about "unmixing the mixedwoods". Important ecological differences exist between mixedwood, broadleaf and conifer forests. I studied changes in...
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Spring 2014
Peat mineral soil mix has been the predominant cover soil used in Athabasca oil sands reclamation. Use of LFH mineral soil mix (forest litter layers and underlying mineral soil) has recently been mandated by regulatory approvals. Effectiveness of these cover soil types to provide diverse, native...
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Fall 2022
Lejoly, Justine Daniele Marthe
Exotic species of earthworms are invading North American forests, where native earthworms were extirpated by the last glaciation. The invasion of these ecosystem engineers can alter soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics, carbon (C) persistence, and ecosystem functioning. While the topic has been...
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Fall 2016
Re-establishment of appropriate vegetation communities is an important aspect of successful forest reclamation as they contribute to various ecosystem functions. In my research I explore how different coversoil materials (salvaged forest floor (FFM) and peat material), their placement depths, and...
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Effects of Root Zone pH, Calcium and Phosphorus Supply on Selected Boreal Forest Plant Species
DownloadSpring 2015
Soil pH is among the major environmental factors affecting plant growth. In the reclaimed areas following open-pit oil sands mining in northeastern Alberta, Canada, the pH of reclaimed soil is commonly higher than 8.0. The optimum range of soil pH for growth and the tolerance of pH extremes...
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Ecological Response of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition on Reconstructed Soils in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region
DownloadSpring 2012
Oil and gas extraction in the Athabasca oil sands region has increased anthropogenic nitrogen (N) emissions over the past two decades. This study quantified atmospheric N deposition and assessed the potential implications of increased N deposition in aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and jack...
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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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Identifying understory diversity and resilience patterns with the depth-to-water index in boreal mixedwood forests
DownloadFall 2017
For the purpose of informing biodiversity conservation efforts in managed landscapes, we explored whether and how understory plant communities (abundance, diversity, composition) were related to a topographic moisture index, called depth-to-water, in the boreal mixedwood forests of northwestern...
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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...