Establishing the first Canadian sites of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine environments (GLORIA) in southwestern BC

• Main Author: Swerhun, Kristina
• Other Authors: Smith, Dan
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: alpine biodiversity; British Columbia; vegetation patterns
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/3426

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. === Graduate