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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Arthropod Diversity In Contrasting Ontario Peatlands, Grace Carscallen
Arthropod Diversity In Contrasting Ontario Peatlands, Grace Carscallen
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Peatlands are important wetland systems, but dominant macroarthropod groups endemic to peatlands and the environmental factors that affect them are poorly represented in the literature. I examined the richness, abundance, and community composition of soil and surface dwelling macroarthropods using emergence traps, peat sorting, and pitfall traps in two Ontario fens differing in water table, nutrient level, and vegetation. I found 218 arthropod morphospecies, with each site having a similar richness of emergent arthropods, but patterns of community composition differed between the two sites. The Carex (sedge) dominated site had twice as many emergent individuals, and total abundances declined dramatically …
Disturbance And The Community Composition Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi In Ontario Tallgrass Prairies, Sarah N. Allan
Disturbance And The Community Composition Of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi In Ontario Tallgrass Prairies, Sarah N. Allan
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycota) form beneficial symbiotic relationships with the majority of land plants, especially in grasslands. Tallgrass prairies in Ontario are an endangered plant community currently being restored on former agricultural land. The objectives of my study were to determine if there were differences in the communities of Glomeromycota between disturbed and undisturbed tallgrass prairies in Ontario and if there were any potential indicator taxa for the ends of the disturbance spectrum. A molecular approach using DNA derived from soil samples was used to compare species composition between disturbed and undisturbed tallgrass prairies. A total of 177 operational taxonomic …