OF GROUND-BEETLES AND MEN: INTRODUCED SPECIES AND THE SYNANTHROPIC FAUNA OF WESTERN CANADA

1988 ◽  
Vol 120 (S144) ◽  
pp. 151-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Spence ◽  
D. Hughes Spence

AbstractAssemblages of carabid beetles occurring in anthropogenic habitats in western Canada include native and introduced species. In this study, about 70% of the native species encountered in anthropogenic habitats have their main centres of abundance in native grassland. Twenty species known from British Columbia are of recent European origin. These species were probably introduced in ballast carried by commercial sailing vessels or in shipments of nursery stock. The species that have successfully colonized western Canada cannot be distinguished from a random sample of the estimated source fauna with respect to either taxonomic distribution or body size. However, all introduced species are characteristic of disturbed and/or anthropogenic habitats in Great Britain and are strictly synanthropic in British Columbia. Where they occurred, introduced species were usually numerically dominant members of anthropogenic assemblages. Both flight and human-assisted transport must be invoked to explain the patterns of range expansion observed for introduced species. Although the presence of introduced species was correlated with reduced diversity of native species, the carabid fauna of western Canada has been generally enriched because only one native species is strictly synanthropic.

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. LAWRENCE ◽  
C. D. RATZLAFF

Twelve strains of native grasses which had undergone selection prior to testing were compared with three introduced grasses under the same management system. On the basis of the 5-yr mean D M yield, crested wheatgrass and meadow bromegrass produced 79% more forage than the native species. Crested wheatgrass and intermediate wheat-grass produced 167% more seed on average than other species. The native species, especially slender wheatgrass and awned wheatgrass suffered considerable winter injury and winter killing. This study supports the belief that most native grasses are shortlived and low-yielding compared to introduced species and that breeders should concentrate their efforts on the introduced species which have an inheritantly higher yield potential.Key words: native grasses, introduced grasses, Agropyron, Bromus, Elymus, Thinopyrum, winter killing, breeding


1998 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.D. Floate ◽  
B.D. Gill

AbstractDung beetles (Scarabaeidae) were pitfall trapped at two sites in southern Alberta from 1993 to 1995. A 3-year total of 156 500 specimens representing 17 species was collected. Local assemblages were dominated, in descending order, by the exotic species Onthophagus nuchicornis (Linné), Aphodius prodromus (Brahm), Aphodius distinctus (O.F. Müller), and Aphodius fimetarius (Linné). Aphodius vittatus Say was the most common native species. Although adults were collected from mid-March to mid-November, the activity of individual species either peaked in the spring and again in the fall, or peaked once in spring to midsummer. Maps showing the Canadian distributions for 15 of these species were compiled from examination of collections and published records and identify 10 new provincial records. Most distributions are transcontinental, with the distribution of O. nuchicornis likely expanding only in the last 20–30 years to include Alberta and Saskatchewan. Aphodius erraticus (Linné) and Aphodius ruricola Melsheimer have not been previously reported from British Columbia. Aphodius pinguellus W.J. Brown, Canthon praticola LeConte, and Aphodius coloradensis Horn are restricted to western Canada.


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Page ◽  
Ronald E. Wall ◽  
Stephen J. Darbyshire ◽  
Gerald A. Mulligan

Heracleum mantegazzianum (giant hogweed) is an invasive alien plant of management concern in southern Canada where it has escaped from horticulture and established and spread in natural, ruderal, and agricultural ecosystems. It poses a threat to natural ecosystems and human health, and is also a weed in agricultural and urban areas. It is a member of the Carrot family (Apiaceae) and is closely related to the native species Heracleum maximum Bartram (cow-parsnip). It is a monocarpic perennial, which generally flowers in its 3rd or 4th year. Large size, leaf shape, dark reddish pigments in patches on stems and petioles, and fruit characteristics readily distinguish H. mantegazzianum from other plants in Canada. It is increasingly common in riparian areas, floodplains, and forest edges in or near urban areas in southwestern British Columbia and southern Ontario. Based on herbarium specimens, H. mantegazzianum was first recorded in Ontario in 1949, British Columbia in 1964, Nova Scotia in 1980, Quebec in 1990, and New Brunswick in 2000. The development of dense stands of H. mantegazzianum can also reduce the richness of native plants. Contact with H. mantegazzianum can cause phytophotodermatitis, a serious skin inflammation caused by UV photo-activation of furanocoumarins present in the sap. Control methods include herbicide application, mechanical cutting, and animal grazing, but strategies to address seed dispersal and re-establishment from dormant seed must also be adopted. Widespread establishment in southern Canada suggests that eradication is unlikely. However, range expansion and rapid population growth can be prevented through strategic management including public education. Key words: Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Apiaceae, HERMZ, invasive plant, weed biology, furanocoumarins


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannie Fries Linnebjerg ◽  
Dennis M. Hansen ◽  
Nancy Bunbury ◽  
Jens M. Olesen

Disruption of ecosystems is one of the biggest threats posed by invasive species (Mack et al. 2000). Thus, one of the most important challenges is to understand the impact of exotic species on native species and habitats (e.g. Jones 2008). The probability that entire ‘invasive communities’ will develop increases as more species establish in new areas (Bourgeois et al. 2005). For example, introduced species may act in concert, facilitating one another's invasion, and increasing the likelihood of successful establishment, spread and impact. Simberloff & Von Holle (1999) introduced the term ‘invasional meltdown’ for this process, which has received widespread attention since (e.g. O'Dowd 2003, Richardson et al. 2000, Simberloff 2006). Positive interactions among introduced species are relatively common, but few have been studied in detail (Traveset & Richardson 2006). Examples include introduced insects and birds that pollinate and disperse exotic plants, thereby facilitating the spread of these species into non-invaded habitats (Goulson 2003, Mandon-Dalger et al. 2004, Simberloff & Von Holle 1999). From a more general ecological perspective, the study of interactions involving introduced and invasive species can contribute to our knowledge of ecological processes – for example, community assembly and indirect interactions.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Saewyc ◽  
Sneha Shankar ◽  
Lindsay A. Pearce ◽  
Annie Smith

Research about the sexual exploitation of homeless and street-involved boys is limited and often combined with that of girls. As aggregation can distort unique issues among genders which are exploited, this study provides information about the context of exploitation for homeless boys. Boys participated in the anonymous, multi-city British Columbia (BC), Canada Homeless and Street-Involved Youth Health paper surveys of 2006 and 2014. Measures included questions about trading sex for money, shelter, or other consideration; age first exploited; for whom; where they were living when first traded sex; gender of exploiters; and demographics. Analyses, separately for younger/older boys, explored the prevalence, timing of exploitation vs. homelessness, and ANOVAs to evaluate the patterns of the age of first exploitation by the genders of exploiters. Just over one in four boys reported exploitation (n = 132), with a median age of 14–15 in most groups. Most were runaway or homeless before their first exploitation, but 25.5% (2006) and 41% (2014) were living with family. Most boys were exploited by women (78%–85%), with 62%–65% were exclusively exploited by women.


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 875-885 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Moyer ◽  
S. N. Acharya

Weeds, especially dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Weber in F.H. Wigg.), tend to infest a forage alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stand 2 to 4 yr after establishment. To develop better weed management systems, experiments were conducted at Lethbridge, Alberta, from 1995 to 2002 and Creston, British Columbia, from 1998 to 2001, which included the alfalfa cultivars Beaver (standard type) and AC Blue J (Flemish type) and annual applications of metribuzin and hexazinone. These herbicides are registered for weed control in irrigated alfalfa in Alberta and alfalfa grown for seed. In addition, two sulfonylurea herbicides, metsulfuron and sulfosulfuron, and glyphosate were included. All of the herbicides except glyphosate controlled or suppressed dandelion and mustard family weeds. Metsulfuron at 5 g a.i. ha-1 almost completely controlled dandelion at both locations. However, after metsulfuron application at Lethbridge, dandelion was replaced with an infestation of downy brome, which is unpalatable for cattle. None of the herbicides increased total forage (alfalfa + weed) yield, and in some instances herbicides reduced forage quality by causing a shift from a palatable to an unpalatable weed species. However, it was observed that AC Blue J consistently yielded more than Beaver, and weed biomass was consistently less in the higher-yielding cultivar. AC Blue J was developed primarily for the irrigated area in southern Alberta and for southern British Columbia. Therefore, additional experiments should be conducted to determine which alfalfa cultivars have the greatest ability to compete with weeds in other regions of western Canada. Key words: Alfalfa yield, dandelion, forage quality, weed control


2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-366
Author(s):  
Peter B. Banks

Distinguishing between whether a species is alien or native can be problematic, especially for introduced species that are long-established in new areas outside of their natural range. Transport by humans is the criterion for alien status used by many definitions, whereas arbitrary time since arrival to a location is often used to define native status. Here I propose an eco-evolutionary approach to distinguish between alien and native status and use this to resolve uncertainty in the status of the dingo in Australia. Dingoes were transported to mainland Australia by humans, but more than 4000 years ago, and dingoes now interbreed with feral domestic dogs. Legally, this mix of events has the dingo classified as native in some jurisdictions and alien in others. I suggest that native status for introduced species should be based on (1) whether the species has evolved in their new environment; (2) whether local species recognise and respond to them as they do towards deep endemic native species, and; (3) whether their impacts benchmark against those of a native species or are exaggerated like those of other alien species. Dingoes are behaviourally, reproductively and morphologically different to close ancestors from south-east Asia, and this difference has a genetic basis indicative of evolution in Australia. There is abundant evidence that native prey species on mainland Australia recognise and respond to them as a dangerous predator, which they are. But there is strong evidence that dingo impacts on prey are not exaggerated, with effect sizes from mensurative experiments similar to those of experiments on native predators rather than alien predators. These three lines of evidence suggest dingoes should be considered native to mainland Australia. I suggest this eco-evolutionary approach to defining native status can be helpful in resolving the often-heated debates about when an alien species becomes native.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 346-362
Author(s):  
Edson Luís de Carvalho Soares ◽  
Márcia Vignoli-Silva ◽  
Lilian Auler Mentz

This work consists of a taxonomic synopsis of the genera of Solanaceae in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Solanaceae is represented by 28 genera in this state: Acnistus Schott, Athenaea Sendtn., Aureliana Sendtn., Bouchetia Dunal, Browalia L., Brugmansia Pers., Brunfelsia L., Calibrachoa La Llave & Lex., Capsicum L., Cestrum L., Datura L., Dyssochroma Miers, Grabowskia Schltdl., Jaborosa Juss., Lycianthes (Dunal) Hassl., Melananthus Walp., Nicandra Adans., Nicotiana L., Nierembergia Ruiz & Pav., Petunia Juss., Physalis L., Salpichroa Miers, Schwenckia L., Sessea Ruiz & Pav., Solandra Sw., Solanum L. (including Cyphomandra Sendtn. and Lycopersicon Mill.), Streptosolen Miers and Vassobia Rusby. Of these, 23 consist of native species , while five are represented exclusively by introduced species. The total number of species is 149, of which 118 are native and 31 are introduced (adventitious or cultivated). An identification key for genera, and also comments on the most relevant taxonomic characters of each one are presented, plus comments on the species that occur in Rio Grande do Sul state.


1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (10) ◽  
pp. 1075-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Robinson ◽  
G. A. Bradley

Except for occasional references in the Annual Reports of the Forest Insect and Disease Survey of infestations of an aphid on caragana (Caragana arborescens Lam.) in Western Canada and a note on chemical control (Bradley, 1952), there is no published record known to the authors of the occurrence of the caragana aphid, Acyrthosiphon caraganae (Cholod.), in North America. MacNay (1953) summarized reports that severe infesrations of aphids, “probably mainly the caragana aphid”, occurred on caragana in 1952 in the East Kootenays of British Columbia, and at several places in Alberta and Saskatchewan. At some localities 100 per cent defoliation was reported.


1965 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Kilcher ◽  
S. Smoliak ◽  
W. A. Hubbard ◽  
A. Johnston ◽  
A. T. H. Gross ◽  
...  

N, P, and N + P at 60, 26, and 60 + 26 lb per acre were applied on native grass sites during three successive years at seven, locations in Western Canada. Single applications of the N fertilizer resulted in 3- or 4-year total yield increases of 300 to 600 lb per acre at six locations. At Summerland the 3-year increase was nearly 1400 lb. Phosphorus fertilizer by itself provided very little yield increase. N + P gave yield increases that were only slightly better than those from N alone.Residual responses to fertilizer were important, especially in the 12- to 16-in. rainfall locations. Only about one-third of the total yield increase occurred in the first year, with the remainder coming in the subsequent seasons.Weeds, where present, showed a marked response to fertilizer N in the first season; in subsequent years the response largely disappeared.


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