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Classification of plant communities in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Golumbia, Todd
Abstract
Plant communities were classified and described for Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site located on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Existing vegetation and environment data were compiled from various sources and assessed for their compatibility as an integrated database. The combined data set was subjected to floristic and physiognomic - floristic methods for vegetation classification using TWINSPAN. The results of each were assessed using multiple response permutation procedures (MRPP) and vegetation tabular analysis (VTAB) to determine which method was superior, based on the homogeneity of individual vegetation units and the presence of meaningful diagnostic species in each. Gradient analysis (Cannonical Correspondence Analysis) was also utilised in conjunction with classification results to explore vegetation - environment relationships. Each association was described individually and in a landscape context. Data considered for analysis in this study were deemed to be acceptable for amalgamation. A bias was detected in sampling distribution overall, favouring upland forests. Species identification effort varied between data sets, particularly with respect to the detection of bryophytes and graminoids. The physiognomic - floristic approach was determined to be moderately superior. This classification resulted in a hierarchical structure with 9 alliances, 20 associations and 12 subassociations. These associations range in an elevational gradient from estuarine meadows and rocky shoreline communities through upland forests and wetlands to subalpine parkland. Subalpine and alpine communities are limited in the study area and were poorly represented in the data. Most communities appear simplified, homogenous and poorly defined, in floristic composition. This has been ascribed to browsing pressure by introduced deer. This effect is particularly evident in the upland forest communities. Recommendations are made for future expansion of classification work in the protected area. Assessment of plant association distribution and abundance for conservation purposes is desirable but not possible due to a lack of spatial accuracy and poor correlation between plant associations and environmental attributes. Additional sampling which takes into consideration geographic stratification and positional accuracy will allow for more rigorous spatial analysis in the future.
Item Metadata
Title |
Classification of plant communities in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2001
|
Description |
Plant communities were classified and described for Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and
Haida Heritage Site located on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Existing
vegetation and environment data were compiled from various sources and assessed for their compatibility
as an integrated database. The combined data set was subjected to floristic and physiognomic - floristic
methods for vegetation classification using TWINSPAN. The results of each were assessed using
multiple response permutation procedures (MRPP) and vegetation tabular analysis (VTAB) to determine
which method was superior, based on the homogeneity of individual vegetation units and the presence of
meaningful diagnostic species in each. Gradient analysis (Cannonical Correspondence Analysis) was
also utilised in conjunction with classification results to explore vegetation - environment relationships.
Each association was described individually and in a landscape context.
Data considered for analysis in this study were deemed to be acceptable for amalgamation. A
bias was detected in sampling distribution overall, favouring upland forests. Species identification effort
varied between data sets, particularly with respect to the detection of bryophytes and graminoids. The
physiognomic - floristic approach was determined to be moderately superior. This classification resulted
in a hierarchical structure with 9 alliances, 20 associations and 12 subassociations. These associations
range in an elevational gradient from estuarine meadows and rocky shoreline communities through
upland forests and wetlands to subalpine parkland. Subalpine and alpine communities are limited in the
study area and were poorly represented in the data. Most communities appear simplified, homogenous
and poorly defined, in floristic composition. This has been ascribed to browsing pressure by introduced
deer. This effect is particularly evident in the upland forest communities. Recommendations are made
for future expansion of classification work in the protected area. Assessment of plant association
distribution and abundance for conservation purposes is desirable but not possible due to a lack of spatial
accuracy and poor correlation between plant associations and environmental attributes. Additional
sampling which takes into consideration geographic stratification and positional accuracy will allow for
more rigorous spatial analysis in the future.
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Extent |
9693612 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-08-05
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0090118
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2001-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.