A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN FAUNA OF HEILONGJAING(CHINA)AND ALBERTA PROVINCE(CANADA)

Heilongjing(China)and Alberta(Canada)provinces are situated at the same lati-tude,with similar nature conditions.Mammals in Alberta account for 87 species and in Heilongj-ing,97 spesics,among which a number of orders,families and species are in common.Continentsof Eurisia and North America histoi cally were connected and separated for several times,sothere are a number of animal forms in common,among them the similarity of herbivores is rath-er high.The similarity index of cervidae is 0.54.Other orders with comparatively similarcompiosition are Insevtivora,Chiroptera and Lagomorpha.In two orders,there are no commonspecies.In these two regions,duc to historical reasons,a number of specific genera and specieswere formed.     

Temporal dynamics of forage succession for elk at two scales: Implications of forest management

Rapid conversion of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominated landscapes in western Alberta to a mosaic of successional stand ages has long-term implications for elk populations in the region that have not been fully assessed. We developed stand-level models of forage succession using data from 159 cutblocks to simulate forage and cover availability within the home range of an elk under “even-flow” and “pulsed” timber cutting scenarios that are common in this area. We found forage biomass peaked approximately 9 years following felling for both herbaceous (graminoids and forbs) and palatable browse forage. Forage production was determined primarily by the age of the cutblock (time since felling) and to a lesser extent elevation, compound topographic index (a measure of site wetness), and the distance to the nearest deciduous forest patch. Forbs became increasingly abundant as stands matured. Browse composition shifted from palatable species to unpalatable species after approximately 30 years. Within an elk home range (100 km²), we found that simulating an “even-flow” cutting regime resulted in forage availability that was always higher than under the current conditions of 90% forests when more than 10 ha were harvested per year. Further, forest cover (>30$>30$-year-old stands) was never less than the guideline of 60% of the area needed to provide adequate thermal and hiding cover. In contrast, when a “pulsed” harvest scenario was simulated, similar to what occurs for mountain pine beetle control, forage availability changed dramatically over time as a large cohort of harvested timber aged. Without further harvesting the stand conditions in the home range eventually returned to a state of pre-harvest risk for mountain pine beetle outbreak. We demonstrated several additional harvesting scenarios that avoided the potential risk and produced a much higher level of forage than currently exists.     

Assessing critical habitat: Evaluating the relative contribution of habitats to population persistence

A principal challenge of species conservation is to identify the specific habitats that are essential for long-term persistence or recovery of imperiled species. However, many commonly used approaches to identify important habitats do not provide direct insight into the contribution of those habitats to population persistence. To assess how habitats contribute to overall population viability and characterize their relative importance, a spatially-explicit population viability model was used to integrate a species occurrence model with habitat quality and demographic information to simulate the population dynamics of the Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordii) in Alberta, Canada. Long-term productivity (births-deaths) in each patch was simulated and iterative patch removal experiments were conducted to generate estimates of the relative contribution of habitat types to overall population viability. Our results indicated that natural dune habitats are crucial for population viability, while disturbed/human-created habitats make a minor contribution to population persistence. The results also suggest that the habitats currently available to Ord’s kangaroo rats in Alberta are unlikely to support long-term persistence. Our approach was useful for identifying habitats that did not contribute to population viability. A large proportion of habitat (39%) represented sinks and their removal increased estimated population viability. The integration of population dynamics with habitat quality and occurrence data can be invaluable when assessing critical habitat, particularly in regions with variable habitat quality. Approaches that do not incorporate population dynamics may undermine conservation efforts by under- or over-estimating the value of habitats, erroneously protecting sink habitats, or failing to prioritize key source habitats.     

Q Fever in Alberta,Canada: 1998–2011

Establishing the diagnosis of Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is important in directing the application of therapy to prevent severe manifestations of the infection. In Alberta, Canada, the presence of high livestock density creates a significant risk of infection, but to date, there has been no comprehensive analysis of local Q fever epidemiological trends and exposure patterns. Between 1998 and 2011, there were 39 cases and an overall adjusted case rate of 0.087 per 100 000 person‐years. Cases were identified most commonly during the May–June season (Figure 2). The median age at date of diagnosis was 49.0 (range: 8.7–71.5) with slightly higher percentage of cases in men (56.4%) than in women (43.6%). There was an apparent geographical clustering of cases. The majority of these cases, with exposure data (n = 31), reported contact with farms and/or livestock, predominantly cattle (6), sheep (5) and goats (5). Cases tended to occur in census divisions with higher density of sheep, goats and cattle. Our findings suggest the need for an increase in targeted messages about Q fever to those in the livestock industry, as more targeted case finding among patients with a high index of suspicion for Q fever. In addition, widespread implementation of a standard questionnaire for cases would enhance surveillance of Q fever in Alberta.     

Beaver (Castor canadensis) mitigate the effects of climate on the area of open water in boreal wetlands in western Canada

Shallow open water wetlands provide critical habitat for numerous species, yet they have become increasingly vulnerable to drought and warming temperatures and are often reduced in size and depth or disappear during drought. We examined how temperature, precipitation and beaver (Castor canadensis) activity influenced the area of open water in wetlands over a 54-year period in the mixed-wood boreal region of east-central Alberta, Canada. This entire glacial landscape with intermittently connected drainage patterns and shallow wetland lakes with few streams lost all beaver in the 19th century, with beaver returning to the study area in 1954. We assessed the area of open water in wetlands using 12 aerial photo mosaics from 1948 to 2002, which covered wet and dry periods, when beaver were absent on the landscape to a time when they had become well established. The number of active beaver lodges explained over 80% of the variability in the area of open water during that period. Temperature, precipitation and climatic variables were much less important than beaver in maintaining open water areas. In addition, during wet and dry years, the presence of beaver was associated with a 9-fold increase in open water area when compared to a period when beaver were absent from those same sites. Thus, beaver have a dramatic influence on the creation and maintenance of wetlands even during extreme drought. Given the important role of beaver in wetland preservation and in light of a drying climate in this region, their removal should be considered a wetland disturbance that should be avoided.     

Edge avoidance and movement of the butterfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parnassius smintheus</Emphasis> in matrix and non-matrix habitat

We experimentally examined edge effects and movement patterns of the butterfly Parnassius smintheus in two habitat types, its preferred meadow habitat, and intervening forest matrix habitat. We followed the movement of 46 butterflies released at either 5 or 20m from a forest edge in either forest or meadow habitat. In contrast to theoretical predictions, we found that butterflies flew less frequently, shorter distances, and at lower rates in matrix habitat than they did in meadow habitat. Distance from the edge had little effect on these aspects of movement. Flight was strongly influenced by light levels with butterflies flying more readily at higher light levels. Light levels were higher in meadows than in forest explaining much of the difference in movement patterns. Turning angles showed that butterflies flying in meadow habitat avoided forest edges and that this effect extended nearly 25 m into meadows. Analysis of net displacement from the forest edge reinforced this result and showed that there may be attraction to the meadow for butterflies flying within forest.     

Genetic diversity and relatedness of boreal caribou populations in western Canada

We studied genetic diversity within and gene flow among six ‘threatened’ populations of boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) inhabiting Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Mean expected heterozygosity (H_E) across 11 loci spanned a narrow range between 0.74 and 0.79. Estimates of H_E were in the mid to high range of those typically observed in natural populations of large mammals, including caribou, and were not suggestive of any immediate threat to survival. We concluded that recent anthropogenic fragmentation of caribou range in western Canada has yet to affect genetic diversity of populations. Analysis of population structure identified a region of relatively low gene flow corresponding with the valley of the Peace River. The highest value of F_ST observed between populations on the same side of the river was 0.025, whereas the lowest value that spanned the river was 0.044. Confirming this result, an assignment test demonstrated that 96.5% of animals could be assigned to the correct side of the Peace River, though only 66.0% of animals could, on average, be assigned to populations of actual origin. Taken as a whole, our results support the existence of two discrete metapopulations bisected by the Peace River, within each of which there exist multiple populations, or at least multiple regions, which experience considerably higher levels of interchange. For caribou inhabiting the boreal plains, large rivers such as the Peace and Mackenzie may serve as biologically meaningful boundaries for managing metapopulations.     

Effects of forest regeneration on songbird movements in a managed forest landscape of Alberta,Canada

Recent studies have shown that barrier effects exist even in relatively vagile species such as forest songbirds. The objectives of this study were to determine whether a 560 × 100 m riparian buffer strip of mature forest was used as a movement corridor by forest songbirds and, if so, to what extent corridor effects persisted as woody vegetation regenerated in the adjacent clearcut. Over a 4-yr period, juvenile movement rates decreased in the riparian buffer strip and increased in the regenerating clearcut. Adult movement rates increased in the riparian buffer strip in the first year after logging, then gradually decreased, while still increasing in the regenerating clearcut. However, both juvenile and adult movement rates were higher in the buffer strip than in an undisturbed control site. Results suggest that most adults we captured held territories in the vicinity of the net lanes,and that most of the juveniles captured were dispersing away from their natal territory. Four years after harvest, juvenile movement rates were higher in the regenerating clearcut than in the riparian buffer strip, but several species had not yet been captured or detected in the regeneration. Our results suggest that the use of the riparian buffer strip as a movement corridor decreased with forest regeneration for both adults and juveniles. However, the buffer strip still acted as a movement corridor for the following species: Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and Ovenbird. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of overstory retention and site preparation on growth of planted white spruce seedlings in deciduous and coniferous dominated boreal plains mixedwoods

Survival and growth of planted white spruce was assessed under partial harvest treatments and different site preparation techniques in mixedwood forests of two compositions prior to logging: deciduous dominated (d-dom) – primarily comprised of mature trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and coniferous dominated (c-dom) – primarily comprised of mature white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). Levels of overstory retention were 0% (clearcut), 50% and 75% of original basal area, and site preparation techniques were inverted mounding, high speed mixing, scalping and control (no treatment). The survival and growth of white spruce were assessed seven years after planting. The experiment was established as a part of the Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND) experiment located in northern Alberta, Canada. In the c-dom, the 50% and 75% retention of overstory resulted in reduced growth and survival of white spruce seedlings compared to clearcuts. In contrast, in the d-dom, the seedlings performed best in sites that had 50% of the overstory retained. For the c-dom, the mounding and mixing treatments yielded the best growth of spruce seedlings, while scalping yielded the worst. In the d-dom, spruce growth was highest in sites with the mixing treatment. In the d-dom, growth and survival of the planted spruce was greater than in the c-dom. The natural regeneration of deciduous trees was suppressed by the retention of canopy regardless of original composition.     

The molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections in coyotes from Alberta,Canada, and observations on some cohabiting parasites

Coyotes from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, were examined for the presence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium and cohabiting helminths. Toxascaris was present in over 90% of the 70 animals examined, and Taenia sp. in 6.5–25% of the two groups of animals studied. Giardia (12.5–21.7%) and Cryptosporidium (0–17.4%) were also common and molecular characterisation revealed both zoonotic and host-adapted genotypes of Giardia, whereas the Cryptosporidium proved to be a variant of the canine species C. canis. The seasonal variation observed in the occurrence of Cryptosporidium may be related to stress-induced shedding of the parasite.