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Ancient temperate rain forest research in British Columbia1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2012

Neville N. Winchester
Neville N. Winchester
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3020, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 3N5 (e-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

This paper is a tribute to Dr. R.A. Ring upon his retirement. During the past 12 years (1993–2005), an emerging canopy research program has established a wealth of baseline information on the structure and functioning of temperate rain forest canopy arthropod communities. Studies from research sites on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, have shown that ancient temperate rain forest canopy ecosystems contain a largely undescribed fauna that is specific to habitat features found only in these canopies. In particular, diverse assemblages of free-living mites have been shown to dominate conifer species and canopy microhabitats. For example, oribatid mites are the dominant arthropod fauna on branches, branches with attached lichens, and suspended soil accumulations. Species composition differs significantly between the ground and the canopy at both the family and the species level. Arboreal specificity may be due to intrinsic variation in habitat quality, habitat architecture, patchiness, and (or) resource availability. The prevalent patterns of habitat specialization, low vagility, and restricted distribution displayed by a large percentage of the resident canopy microarthropods are features often associated with forest ecoregions that have enjoyed relatively stable conditions for long periods of time, as have the ancient forests on Vancouver Island. Investigators in the “one-Ring lab” continue to document the diversity and abundance of canopy arthropods of temperate forests in British Columbia. In particular, studies are concerned with defining the organizing principles that elicit community patterns associated with the various levels of complexity in arboreal communities. Our long-term goal is to provide a greater degree of predictability when addressing temperate forest diversity issues. To meet the stated goals of sustainable forest management and retention of biodiversity, an extensive plan of ecological research that features arthropods is needed. This plan, fostered by Dr. Ring, should have as a priority the inventory and cataloguing of species assemblages and should address dynamic processes such as organismal dispersal and the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on arthropods in ancient forests.

Résumé

Ce travail est un hommage au Prof. R.A. Ring. Il traite de la richesse des données de base accumulées sur la structure et le fonctionnement de la canopée de la forêt pluvieuse tempérée au cours des 12 dernières années (1993–2005) dans un programme en émergence de recherche sur la canopée. Les études faites à des sites de recherche sur l'île de Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique, montrent que les écosystèmes de la canopée de l'ancienne forêt pluvieuse tempérée contiennent une faune qui est, en grande partie, non décrite et qui est spécifique aux habitats particuliers que l'on ne trouve que là. Notamment, il y a divers peuplements d'acariens libres qui prédominent chez les espèces de conifères et dans les microhabitats de la canopée. Par exemple, les oribates forment le groupe dominant de la faune d'arthropodes sur les branches, les branches porteuses de lichens et dans les accumulations de sol suspendu. La composition spécifique dans les sols et celle de la canopée diffèrent significativement, tant au niveau des familles qu'à celui des espèces. La spécificité en fonction des arbres peut être due à des variations intrinsèques de la qualité de l'habitat, de l'architecture de l'habitat, de sa distribution contagieuse et (ou) de la disponibilité des ressources. Les patrons dominants de spécialisation des habitats, la mobilité réduite et les répartitions restreintes d'un pourcentage important des microarthropodes résidant dans la canopée sont des caractéristiques souvent associées aux écorégions forestières qui ont bénéficié de conditions stables pendant de longues périodes, comme c'est le cas des forêts anciennes de l'île de Vancouver. Les chercheurs du « one-Ring lab » continuent d'accumuler des informations sur la diversité et l'abondance des arthropodes de la canopée dans les forêts de la Colombie-Britannique. En particulier, certaines études cherchent à découvrir les principes d'organisation qui génèrent les patrons de communauté associés aux différents niveaux de complexité des communautés dans les arbres. Notre objectif à long terme est d'obtenir un plus grand pouvoir de prédiction dans les études qui s'intéressent à la question de la diversité des forêts tempérées. Afin d'atteindre les objectifs fixés de gestion durable des forêts et de maintien de la biodiversité, il faudra un programme élargi de recherche écologique qui inclut les arthropodes. Ce programme, mis de l'avant par le Prof. Ring, doit avoir comme priorités l'inventaire et le catalogage des regroupements d'espèces et doit s'intéresser aux processus dynamiques, tels que la dispersion des organismes et les effets de la perte d'habitats et de la fragmentation, sur les arthropodes des forêts anciennes.

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Type
Articles
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 138 , Issue 1: Adaptations and Constraints: a Symposium in Honour of Richard Ring / Adaptations et contraintes : un symposium en l'honneur de Richard Ring , February 2006 , pp. 72 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2006

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