Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Western Washington University

Biology

Biodiversity

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

To Flee Or Not To Flee: How Range Dynamic Of Alpine Species Are Changing Through Time, Lian Noonan Jan 2023

To Flee Or Not To Flee: How Range Dynamic Of Alpine Species Are Changing Through Time, Lian Noonan

WWU Graduate School Collection

In response to anthropogenic climate change, alpine floras in particular have been forecasted to shift their ranges upslope and north, yet recent analyses have shown otherwise. While a handful of floras have been found to track the trajectory of predictive models, most floristic elements have remained in their historical ranges despite a changing climate. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of models predicting range shifts, I address the following questions: (1) are mountain floras spatially structured through time; and (2) how are range dynamics of mountain floras changing through time. To address these questions, this study analyzed the herbarium records of …


Vignette 03: Birds Of The Salish Sea, Rob Butler May 2021

Vignette 03: Birds Of The Salish Sea, Rob Butler

Institute Publications

The significance of the Salish Sea comes into focus when we look at the diversity and abundance of its birds and mammals, some of which are globally, continentally, and nationally important. Of particular importance is the diversity and abundance of species on the Fraser River Delta. There are more species of birds on the delta than any comparable area in Canada, and nearly half of all 550 species of birds reported for British Columbia have been seen on the delta. Despite all that has been learned about marine birds and mammals, large areas of the Salish Sea in Canada have …


Vignette 21: How Ecological Time-Series Inform Response To Stressors, Jackson W.F. Chu May 2021

Vignette 21: How Ecological Time-Series Inform Response To Stressors, Jackson W.F. Chu

Institute Publications

An important part of biodiversity monitoring includes assessing the differences in vulnerability across parts of an ecosystem. Hypoxia is one of the big three climate- related stressors causing biodiversity loss in the oceans. As the ocean warms, its capacity to hold oxygen becomes reduced. At the same time, concurrent shifts in circulation result in changes to how oxygen gets transported from the surface (where oxygen dissolves into the ocean) to the seafloor and from offshore to inshore areas. When a habitat experiences a substantial drop in oxygen, below the point needed to sustain everyday life, animals respond by migrating away, …