Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Edinburgh, 1987.

The high canopy (33m-65m) from an ancient Sitka spruce forest in the Carmanah Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, was investigated to examine the structure and diversity of the arthropod fauna. A fixed-access canopy system was developed to facilitate arthropod sampling in this habitat. Within the canopies of 5 ancient Sitka spruce trees, arthropods associated with branches were collected by cutting 270 branches over 6 time intervals. Branches were enclosed in plastic bags and contents were examined in the laboratory where 1,268 individuals were enumerated and assigned to feeding guilds. Arthropods associated with the branches in the canopy were dominated by individuals in the phytophagous, predator and parasitoid guilds. Individual trees and seasonality both contributed significantly to the proportional structuring of the phytophagous and predator guilds. Vertical partitioning was not a significant factor in guild proportionality. Interaction effects were only significant for the phytophagous guild. The documentation of high predator loading in a structurally and functionally diverse ecosystem such as ancient forest canopies is in concert with previous studies and supports observations on reduced herbivory in mature, structurally complex forests. I suggest that canopy habitats provide a template important for examining questions about the maintenance of biodiversity in ancient forests. Further understanding of the factors involved may provide us with predictive information that could be used to examine patterns in community structure and provide answers to process-driven biodiversity and conservation questions. I collected samples bi-weekly throughout the growing season, from replicated moss/soil samples and malaise traps from 5 study sites associated with the ancient Sitka spruce forests: 2 ancient forest Sitka spruce canopies, ancient forest interior, transition zone (edge between ancient forest and clear-cut), and clear-cut (6 years old). I recorded 71 species of Oribatida ( 2,117 specimens), representing 51 genera and 34 families. Taxonomic distincness was most pronounced in the canopy moss/soil mats where oribatid mites are members of a distinct arboreal community that is not just a random sub-set of the ground fauna. Comparisons between the high-canopy and three ground sites indicated that overall, species percent similarity was low. Thirty and 28 species of oribatids were recorded from the 2 canopy sites, of which 12 species are canopy specific. Species exhibiting strict arboreal specificity are all in the Brachyphlina, from the families Thyrisomidae, Damaeidae, Eremaeidae, Oripodidae, Gymnodamaeidae,Oppiidae,Peloppiidae, Galumnatidae, and Cymbaeremaeidae. I consider oribatids of the canopy to be inhabitants of islands, in the sense that they are isolated from their ground coimterparts and have a distinct fauna that is characterized by two ecological groups of species; wandering species with dispersal capabilities and arboreal species with low dispersal capabilities. I conclude that oribatid mites can be used as a surrogate for other ancient forest soil microarthropods, and predict that arboreal specificity will also be pronounced in these taxa. I explored dispersal capabilities further, where 36 species of Oribatida (2596 specimens), representing 29 genera and 21 families were recorded from replicated malaise traps positioned in the canopy and on the forest floor. Colonization of malaise traps was 100% in the canopy, 91% in the forest floor and 47% in the clear-cut.Nine of these species were not recorded using high gradient extractions of moss/sod from the canopy or forest floor or clear-cut. Thirty of these species are Brachypyiina, with the families Eremaeidae, Peloppiidae and Ceratozetidae represented by three or more species. Colonizing specimens were predominantly adult, and represent sexually vreproducing taxa; immatures comprised only 0.9% to 4.2% of specimens. Ceratoppia spp., Eporibatula sp.1, Dorycranosus sp.l, Sphaerozetes sp. 1 and Oribatella sp. 1 had a ftequency > 50% in the forest floor malaise traps, and Eporibatula sp. I, Sphaerozetes sp. 1 and Dendrozetes sp. 1 had a frequency > 50% in canopy malaise traps. Phoresy as a source of the oribatid fauna in the malaise traps is unlikely as only Paraleius sp. 1 of the species represented is modified for this mode of dispersal. The number of species recorded from malaise traps, and the frequency, relative abundance and seasonality of many of them support the hypothesis that active aerial dispersal by random movement is an important mode of colonization of canopy habitats. I examined features related to the Centinelan extinction concept and asked whether or not this is applicable to northern temperate ancient forest arthropods. Habitat loss in these forest systems on Vancouver Island is well documented and at present, of 89 ancient forest watersheds over 5000 ha in size, only 6 remain undisturbed by logging. Examination of identified arthropod species ( 1,311 to date), indicates that the structurally complex habitat acts as a reservoir for biological diversity. Of particular importance to the maintenance of arthropod biodiversity is the documentation of those species that are new to science or species that are restricted to habitats only found in ancient forests. The new species (approx. 120) so far recorded represent a contribution towards categorizing the endemic arthropod fauna of this ancient forest. I expect that, with continued taxonomic resolution, this list of undescribed species will be significantly increased. Specific examples include Hypogastrura arborea Fjellberg, Anacliliea vallis Coher and A winchesteri Coher, Cinara n. sp. Voegtlin, and Miniliomosina n. sp. Marshall. This type of habitat specificity is well documented for the oribatid mites and for the staphylinid beetles where I have documented 8 new species of Omaliinae which appear to rely on ancient forests as a source area to maintain reproductively viable subpopulations. Without proper documentation, I suggest that the arthropod fauna of ancient forests contain species that are candidates for the Centinelan extinction concept — extinction of species unknown before their demise and hence unrecorded. In conclusion, my studies present evidence from several arthropod groups to indicate that the ancient forests of the Carmanah Valley act as a source habitat for several species, many of which are currently undescribed. Habitat specificity is most pronounced in the canopy where soil micro-arthropods such as the oribatid mites exhibit arboreal specificity. The importance of describing these species assemblages coupled with the inclusion of dynamic processes such as dispersal into the framework of how we think about arthropods in ancient forests is a challenge that lies ahead for the entomological research community. Recognizing these components should assist efforts in addressing the conservation of biodiversity in these ancient forests. / Graduate

Holocellulose has been prepared, from Sitka spruce heartwood. This material has been subjected to acid hydrolysis for increasing periods of time. The residues have been examined for residual pentosan and alpha-cellulose. The hydrolyzates have been examined for free sugars by means of paper partition chromatography. Glucose, galactose, mannose, arabinose and xylose have been identified and the presence of methoxyuronic acid inferred. A procedure has been devised for the quantitative determination of these sugars after their separation on paper chromatograms. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate

Sitka Spruce holocellulose has been prepared by the chlorite procedure as modified by Wise and associates. This material has been subjected to successive methylations. The methoxyl content and yield of the solid residue were determined after each methylation and the methoxyl contents have been compared with corresponding values obtained when extractive-free wood was treated in the same manner. The methoxyl contents and yields of material present in the liquors from the first methylation have also been determined. / Science, Faculty of / Chemistry, Department of / Graduate

During the 1970 fall, the I.U.F.R.O. Section 22 "Working group on procurement of seed for provenance research" organized an expedition to collect Sitka spruce cones from British Columbia and Alaska. The locations of the 39 provenances range from 48.38 ° to 58.37° latitude N and from 121.93° to 134.58° longitude W. The elevation varies from 0 to 2, 200 feet above sea level. In most cases, the collections were made from 15 trees in each location. The single tree progeny collection of 557 trees representing 39 locations constitute the material of this thesis. In a first part, seed and cone morphology were studied on a single tree basis. Ten cones per progeny were randomly selected and the length of each cone measured to the nearest mm. Five randomly selected seeds from each tree were mounted on a special sheet, and seed length, seed width, wing length and wing width were measured to the nearest 0. 01 mm. Nested analyses of variance and DUNCAN's multiple range tests for all the characteristics studied have been performed using five subregions. No definite classification of the provenances was possibly using univariate anova procedures. A simple correlation matrix has been calculated between all the traits studied and longitude, latitude and altitude of the place of origin of the provenances, using the provenance means. Multiple regression analyses have been used for investigating this correlation matrix. The percentage of variation accounted for by the geographical co-ordinates varies between 10. 2% and 43. 6%. Using the seed and cone traits studied, a comparison of several multivariate statistical analyses which could be used for classification purposes has been attempted. The so-called canonical analysis, discriminant function analysis and principal component analysis have been compared and applied for classifying the provenances. The sub-regions already used were analyzed separately. Dendrograms were also constructed and analyzed. Advantages and disadvantages of each multivariate method have been discussed. It was found that the discriminant function analysis, its associated generalized distances of MAHALANOBIS and dendrograms provided the most rational classification of the provenances. In a second part, the genetic variability of 545 Sitka spruce single tree progenie s was studied in a nursery test during 1 971 andl972. A total of 545 single tree progenies grouped into 38 provenances was sown in April, 1971, using a randomized complete block design with four replications and 24 seedlings per replication or 96 seedlings per progeny. The seeds were placed in the cavities of styro-blocks using the method developed by the Pacific Forest Research Centre in co-operation with the B. C. Forest Service and they have been treated by the most recent nursery methods, in the new B. C. F. S. nursery at Surrey (B.C.). Germination rate, bud set, length of the epicotyl and survival after the first growing season were assessed in 1971. The "seedlings were translpnated in plain soil seedbeds in May, 1972, to a distance of 6" to 6", each progeny being kept separate while respecting the same statistical design as in 1971. Bud burst, bud set, colour of the needles and total height after the second growing season, were assessed in 1972. There was a clinal variation in bud burst, bud set, colour of the needles and epicotyl length. Bud burst was negatively correlated with longitude (r = -0. 50) and positively correlated with altitude (r = 0.42). Bud set appeared under strict genetic control as indicated by the second estimation of this trait, at the end of the second growing season (with latitude: r = 0. 88). Latitude and altitude of the seed sources explained 65% of the total variation in epicotyl length. Total height after the second growing season showed the same relationships as epicotyl length. General equations for components of variance for unbalanced data were originally calculated for a nested-crossed model. Components of variance and their standard error were calculated for epicotyl length and total height after the second growing season. Depending on the sub-regions, the genetic variance among provenances is generally larger than the tree to tree genetic variation. The narrow sense heritability, on an individual basis, and its standard error, for total height after the second growing season, were estimatedon a subregion basis. Heritability was found generally to be close to 0. 10, indicating low general combining ability. The relationships between the seed, cone and seedling traits measured were studied. Multiple regression analysis showed that a higher proportion of the variation of the seedling traits was accounted for by the geographical coordinates of the provenances than by the cone and seed traits studied. Variation in foliar macro- and micro- nutrients of 10 Sitka spruce provenances was studied, but no geographical pattern of variation detected in K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, P, and N needle contents. Only K showed some provenance to provenance variation. Possible physiological explanations for this absence of variation are discussed. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Edinburgh, 1988.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1986. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-131). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1998. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-56). Also available via the World Wide Web.

No description available.