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A review of indicators of wetland health and function in Alberta's prairie, aspen parkland and boreal dry mixedwood regions

Description

Wetlands cover approximately 21 per cent of the land area of the province of Alberta and are unique ecosystems that provide several valuable ecological economic functions including water storage... More ≫

Description

Wetlands cover approximately 21 per cent of the land area of the province of Alberta and are unique ecosystems that provide several valuable ecological economic functions including water storage and flood attenuation, erosion control, water quality improvement and habitat for various plant and animal species. Many wetlands in Alberta, especially in the southern half of the province, have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic disturbances which in turn affect the wetland health and function. The purpose of this report is to conduct a review of the primary literature on Alberta wetlands and identify potential indicators of health of wetland ecosystems i Alberta, specifically in the Prairie, Aspen Parkland and Boreal Dry Mixedwood regions.

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Plant community types of sand dunes and sand plains in selected areas of the boreal natural region

Description

This study focused on the inventory of natural and semi-natural plant communities. Unique or recurring plant communities were identified in the field and inventoried using standard provincial... More ≫

Description

This study focused on the inventory of natural and semi-natural plant communities. Unique or recurring plant communities were identified in the field and inventoried using standard provincial ecological site and vegetation forms. The concepts for potential plant communities were first developed in the field by tabulating the percent ground cover of dominant species within each stratum for each stand sampled. This preliminary grouping of stands with similar characteristics helped to identify potential communities and to direct sampling efforts. A range of site positions and ecological conditions were investigated in search of unique or recurring plant communities. Field data was then analysed using PC-ORD (Version 4.25) to statistically determine grouping of plant communities using Detrended Correspondence Analysis and agglomerative cluster analysis. The results were critically reviewed and final plant communities were then classified according to The International Classification of...

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