Biodiversity project - phase 1: arthropods

Effects of even-aged versus uneven-aged silviculture and resulting landscape quality on biodiversity.
– Dr. Christopher Buddle, Dr. Kyle Elliot and Jessica Turgeon (McGill University), Dr. Alex Smith (Guelph University), Dr. Yann Surget Groba and Dr. David Rivest (UQO), Dr. Christian Messier (UQO/UQAM)

This project is one component of a larger forestry project with the goal of comparing various forestry techniques (strip cutting vs. selective cutting vs. no cutting) in terms of its impacts on increasing the overall resilience of the forest to global change.

Biodiversity is central to human well-being, and to the resilience and health of our ecosystems. This is especially relevant today as we face unprecedented environmental challenges, from climate change to invasive species. In north-eastern North America, forest ecosystems, such as Kenauk, harbor immense biodiversity, much of which is largely unexplored. From insect pollinators to carbon-capturing trees, critical ecosystem functions are provided by the flora and fauna which inhabit Kenauk. As we adapt to our changing environments, and prepare for the future, benchmarking this biodiversity is essential, as is studying the ways this biodiversity is best maintained and conserved for future generations. This research will focus on quantifying how the biodiversity of flora and fauna at Kenauk has adapted to past harvesting (ie. strip cutting), and is positioned for future changes in the forest. Surveys will be completed in permanent sample plots, which will be the basis for long-term ecological monitoring at Kenauk. The focal study organisms for the first phase of this research will include arthropods (insects and spiders) living from the forest floor to the canopy.

Stay tuned for results