An experimental test of factors limiting leaf litter mass loss and invertebrate assemblages in riparian zones of forested headwater streams
department or school: Forestry, Faculty of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Ramey, Tonya Lee
issued: 2019-04-12T17:20:26Z
issued: 2019
related degree: Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Riparian zones support a broad diversity of organisms and ecosystem functions, like decomposition, which are integral to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian zones are globally threatened, and management agencies are increasingly focused on protecting the ecological functions and diversity of these systems. Identifying factors limiting decomposition and invertebrate diversity in riparian zones can improve our understanding of how these ecosystems operate. In this thesis, I identified mechanisms contributing to the diversity of terrestrial invertebrates in riparian zones: flooding and drying cycles, nutrient and water availability, microclimate gradients, vegetation and microhabitat diversity, and unique food resources. I experimentally determined whether water, nutrients, and distance from stream limit (1) early-stage mass loss of leaf litter from red alder (Alnus rubra) and western red cedar (Thuja plicata) trees, and (2) terrestrial invertebrate abundance and diversity in headwater riparian zones in southwestern British Columbia. My experiments revealed that moisture is a limiting factor to red alder leaf litter mass loss during the summer dry period: watered litter lost 4% more mass than un-watered litter in four red alder litterbag trials. Nutrient availability may be limiting to western red cedar mass loss at my sites: leaf litter with nutrient additions lost 5% more mass than litter without nutrients in one of three western red cedar trials, suggesting that nutrients may be limiting to western red cedar mass loss at my sites. The terrestrial invertebrate community appeared sensitive to nutrient additions: pitfall trap abundance and order richness were lower at stations with nutrients. Trap abundance, taxonomic richness, and community composition also differed based on month of capture. I also documented differences in microclimate variables with distance from stream. Temperature and moisture conditions within 1 m of the stream differed from condit…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/69638
note: AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST OF FACTORS LIMITING LEAF LITTER MASS LOSS AND INVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES IN RIPARIAN ZONES OF FORESTED HEADWATER STREAMS by Tonya Lee Ramey M.A., Columbia University, 2010 B.S., The University of Arizona, 2008 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Forestry) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2019 © Tonya Lee Ramey, 2019 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: An experimental test of factors limiting leaf litter mass loss and invertebrate assemblages in riparian zones of forested headwater streams submitted by Tonya Lee Ramey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry Examining Committee: John S. Richardson, Forestry, UBC Supervisor Peter M. Kiffney, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Supervisory Committee Member Cindy E. Prescott, Forestry, UBC Supervisory Committee Member Allan L. Carroll, Forestry, UBC University Examiner Jill E. Jankowski, Zoology, UBC University Examiner iii Abstract Riparian zones support a broad diversity of organisms and ecosystem functions, like decomposition, which are integral to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian zones are globally threatened, and management agencies are increasingly focused on protecting the ecological functions and diversity of these systems. Identifying factors limiting decomposition and invertebrate diversity in riparian zones can improve our understanding of how these ecosystems operate. In this thesis, I identified mechanisms contributing to the diversity of terrestrial invertebrates in riparian zones: flooding and drying cycles, nutrient and water availability, microclimate gradients, vegetation and microhabitat diversity, and unique food resources. I experiment…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2019-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0378184
language: eng
degree discipline: Forestry
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/69638