Quantifying plant community change at Waterton Lakes National Park over the past 25 years

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dc.contributor.authorLloren, Jed Immanuel
dc.contributor.authorUniversity of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
dc.contributor.supervisorMcCune, Jenny L.
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-27T14:30:35Z
dc.date.available2021-07-27T14:30:35Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.degree.levelMastersen_US
dc.description.abstractPlant communities are changing in response to natural and anthropogenic drivers. However, we know little about how different drivers have affected Rocky Mountain plant communities over the past few decades. In 2017, a wildfire burned 50% of the vegetation at Waterton Lakes National Park, located in Canada’s southern Rocky Mountains. Using re-surveys of vegetation plots established in the 1990s, I quantified changes in plant community diversity and composition over the past two decades. I found that fire severity interacted with human disturbance to affect species richness and community composition. I also found that burned and unburned plots are experiencing diverging trajectories. Herbaceous and short-lived species have become more prominent in burned plots, whereas unburned plots are becoming increasingly characterized by woody species. Ecologists should continue conducting legacy studies as they have the potential to expand our theoretical understanding of community assembly and inform management decisions.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/5970
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.proquest.subjectEcology [0329]en_US
dc.proquest.subjectBiology [0306]en_US
dc.proquest.subjectConservation biology [0408]en_US
dc.proquestyesYesen_US
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en_US
dc.subjectResearch Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES::Biology::Terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology::Terrestrial ecologyen_US
dc.subjectDissertations, Academicen_US
dc.subjectForest biodiversity -- Effect of fires on -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectForest ecology -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectForest fires -- Environmental aspects -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectNature -- Effect of human beings on -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectPlant-soil relationships -- Albertaen_US
dc.subjectSoils -- Effect of fires on -- Albertaen_US
dc.titleQuantifying plant community change at Waterton Lakes National Park over the past 25 yearsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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