Establishing the first Canadian sites of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments (GLORIA) in southwestern BC
Date
2011-07-26
Authors
Swerhun, Kristina
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Abstract
This research established long-term alpine monitoring in southwestern British
Columbia by following the protocol outlined in the Global Observation Research
Initiative in Alpine environments (GLORIA). The aim of this international project is to
establish a long-term observation network to obtain standardized data on alpine
biodiversity, vegetation patterns and temperature on a global scale. Research plots
(known as target regions) were established in the Mount Arrowsmith region on
Vancouver Island and in the Whistler region. A target region is comprised of four
summits that each represent an altitudinal gradient of vegetation patterns characteristic
for the respective mountain regions.
The GLORIA protocol focuses on capturing changes in: species richness (number
of species), species composition (loss or gain of individual species), patterns of
vegetation (changes in % cover), soil temperatures of microhabitats, and snow cover.
The analysis of data presented in this thesis related environmental characters (area, slope,
elevation, aspect and top cover) and species characters to species richness and
composition. This research indicates that overall in the Arrowsmith and Whistler target
regions, species richness was consistently greater in larger study plots and in plots where
the cover of vascular plant species was relatively high. Elevation alone, sometimes seen
as an indirect measure of temperature did not seem to play a significant role in predicting
species richness. All species inventoried were ‘as expected’. All of these observations
made sense ecologically, are in line with current hypotheses, and demonstrate that the
summits chosen in the Arrowsmith and Whistler target regions are typical alpine areas
and suitable for long-term study.
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Keywords
alpine biodiversity, British Columbia, vegetation patterns