Atmospheric Change, Forests and Biodiversity |
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Authors: | Richard Hebda |
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Affiliation: | (1) Botany and Earth History, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, B.C, V8V 1X4, Canada;(2) Biology and School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700, Victoria, B.C, V8W 2Y2, Canada |
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Abstract: | Predicted atmospheric change, mainly climate change, will have profound effects on the biodiversity of Canadian forests. Predictions derived from forest models, responses of species and ecosystems related to modern ecological characteristics and paleoecological studies suggest large-scale, wide-ranging changes from the biome to physiological levels. Paleoecological analogues in B.C. and other parts of Canada reveal that major changes must be expected in forest composition, range, structure and ecological processes. In B.C., past warmer and drier climates supported a different forest pattern, including forest types with no modern analogue. This produced dramatically different disturbance regimes, specifically more fires, and affected tree growth rates. The relationship of forests with non-forest habitats, especially wetlands and grasslands was different suggesting implications for wildlife biodiversity. British Columbia's Forest Practices Code prescribes guidelines for biodiversity objectives but ignores the issue of atmospheric change. This omission may result from a lack of understanding of the profound potential effects of atmospheric change on forest biodiversity in the next harvest cycle and lack of mechanisms to assess impacts and develop management strategies for specific sites. An example of a simple paleoecological assessment method involving pollen ratios is proposed. |
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Keywords: | analogue pollen biodiversity British Columbia climate change forests management paleoecology |
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