The Aspen Parklands Ecoregion

Overview

Subsections

• Central
• Foothills
• Peace River

Special Features Peace River may refer to: The Peace River in Alaska in the United States, called by natives Gui-guok-lok The Peace River in Alaska in the United States, a tributary of the Koyuk River The Peace River in Florida in the United States The Peace River in British Columbia...

• Sand dunes
• Sand plains
• Badlands
• Kame fields

Topography Variables This article is about the sand formations, for other meanings see Dune (disambiguation) Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by eolian (wind-related) processes. ... The Chinle Badlands at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. ...

• Level glacial lakebeds
• Rolling areas
• Hummocky Moraine

Climate
Central

• Moderate precipitation
• Moderate temperature

Foothills

• Chinooks
• Strong winds

Peace River Chinook has several meanings: The Chinookan nation of Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, which inhabited the lower Columbia River valley in what is now Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. ...

• Higher precipitation
• Short summer/Long winter
• Moderate winds

Vegetation

There are many areas of marsh and meadow vegetation. Alkali ponds contain salt tolerant vegetation. Dryland vegetation includes aspen, poplar bluffs, rough rescue grasslands and willow communities in foothill areas. Species Populus adenopoda Populus alba Populus grandidentata Populus sieboldii Populus tremula Populus tremuloides Aspens are trees of the willow family and comprise a section of the poplar genus Populus sect. ... Species About 350, including: Salix alba - White Willow Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow Salix arbuscula - Mountain Willow Salix aurita - Eared Willow Salix babylonica - Peking Willow Salix caprea - Goat Willow Salix caroliniana - Coastal Plain Willow Salix cinerea - Grey Sallow Salix fragilis - Crack Willow Salix herbacea - Dwarf Willow Salix lanata - Woolly Willow Salix...

Wildlife

Wildlife in the parklands include white-tailed deer, coyotes, pocket gophers, thirteen-lined ground squirrels, Richardson’s ground squirrels, beavers, varying hares, weasels, kingfishers, ruffed grouse, magpies and northern orioles. Binomial name Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann, 1780 The White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer found throughout the 48 contiguous states of the United States, southern Canada and as far south as Panama. ... For the UK high-street retail company, see Kingfisher plc. ... Binomial name Bonasa umbellus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus, is a medium-sized grouse. ... Genera Pica Urocissa Cyanopica Cissa The magpies are medium to large, often colorful and noisy passerine birds in the crow family, Corvidae. ... Binomial name Icterus galbula (Linnaeus, 1758) The Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, is a small icterid blackbird. ...

The Aspen Parklands consists of groves of aspen poplars interspersed with areas of prairie grasslands. This ecoregion is intersected by large stream and river valleys lined with poplar woodlands and dense shrubbery. The climate is fairly moderate with ample precipitation to support both grass and tree cover.

This is a zone of constant competition and tension. Within the parklands, prairie and woodlands struggle to overtake each other. The parklands exist between the prairies and the forests and are referred to as an ecotone or transition area. An ecotone is a transition area between two adjacent ecological communities (ecosystems). ...

There are three areas of Aspen Parklands in Alberta: Central, Peace River and Foothills. These sections are distinguished by their geographical location. The Central Parkland is the largest section. It is bordered by the grasslands to the south and the boreal forest on the north. The Peace River Parkland is located in the Peace River regions of the province and is surrounded by boreal forest. The Foothills Parkland is located to the west of the grasslands in the southern section of the province.

Four significantly different habitats are common in the aspen parklands: The fescue prairie, the woodlands, the ravines and the wetlands and lakes. The fescue prairie is a meadowland rich in vegetation variety which forms the cover for the development of the richer soils that underlie the parklands. The close association with woodlands and wetlands makes this a choice location for many plants and a preferred range or home site for numerous animals. The richer soil and increased precipitation favours the natural growth of fescue grass. However, varying conditions such as moisture level and grazing pressures allow for the invasion of secondary plant species. Species See text Fescue (Festuca) is a genus of about 300 species of tufted grasses, belonging to the grass family Poaceae. ...

There are numerous grasses and sedges in the fescue prairie. Gravelly and rocky terrain is a good location for parry oat grass. Dry areas favour June, porcupine and spear grass. Wet areas are often covered with slender wheat grass and timber oat grass. Prairie rose and snowberry are common shrubs found in these grasslands.

Forbes are an important component of the grassland association of the parkland. Look for common yarrow, cut-leave anemone, rock cress, creeping white prairie aster, milk vetch, late yellow loco weed, goldenrod, prairie rose, prairie crocus, and tiger lily. Binomial name Anemone patens The Prairie Crocus (Anemone patens) is the provincial flower of Manitoba. ... Binomial name Lilium lancifolium The Tiger lily Lilium lancifolium (or Tigerlilly, Tigerlily) is a large and spectacular flower which is also cultivated in Asia for its edible bulb. ...

Burrowing rodents such as Richardson’s ground squirrel, thirteen-lined grown squirrel and pocket gophers play a major role in the balance between the aspen groves and the grassland. These excavators make mounds of fresh soil which are ideal locations for the germination of poplar seeds. Once established, these trees spread by suckering, thus creating a new aspen groves.

White-tailed deer find shelter in the aspens and graze on the grasslands; coyotes and foxes hunt the resident rodents. Historically, bison grazed on the grassland and helped to prevent the spread of aspen groves.

Cultivation has disturbed the habitats of some birds which nest and feed on the fescue grassland. However, the horned lark and meadow lark have managed to adapt to the new conditions. Binomial name Eremophila alpestris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Shore Lark (Eremophila alpestris), called the Horned Lark in North America, breeds across much of North America, northernmost Europe and Asia and in the mountains of southeast Europe. ...

Song sparrow, vesper sparrow, and American goldfinch can often be seen in open areas. Binomial name Melospiza melodia (Wilson, 1810) The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is a medium-sized sparrow. ... Binomial name Pooecetes gramineus (Gmelin, 1789) The Vesper Sparrow, Pooecetes gramineus, is a medium-sized sparrow. ... Binomial name Carduelis tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eastern or American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) is a typical North American seed-eating member of the finch (Fringillidae) family, averaging 11 cm in length. ...

The woodland area is occupied by the trembling aspen clones. The proportion of woodlands to grasslands has increased over the prairie in the last 100 years. This increase is due in part to the reduction of prairie fires which used to destroy the new saplings on the fringes of the aspen groves.

Aspen woodlands support and extensive understory consisting of mid-sized and small shrubs, some herbs and ground cover. Understory (or understorey) is the term for the area of a forest which grows in the shade of the overstory or canopy. ...

Large shrubs such as red-osier dogwood, beaked willow, saskatoon, choke cherry and pincherry, along with the smaller shrubs including prickly rose, snowberry, beaked hazlenut and low bush cranberry, form a dense entangled understory. Common herbs found in the woodlands include: Lindly’s aster, northern bedstraw, pea vine, Western Canada violet, dewberry and bunchberry. Mosses appear at the base of trees and on the ground. Binomial name Amelanchier alnifolia The Juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a serviceberry found in western North America. ... Species About 15 species including: - Common Snowberry - Mexican Snowberry - Littleleaf Snowberry - Creeping Snowberry - Wolfberry - Coralberry - Mountain Snowberry - Roundleaf Snowberry - Chinese Coralberry Symphoricarpos is a small genus of about 15 species of deciduous shrubs in the family Caprifoliaceae. ... Species See text The Dewberries (Rubus sect. ...

Wildlife in the woodlands is varied and abundant. The varying hare, weasel, fox, coyote, and white-tailed deer make their homes in this region.

Equally abundant are a variety of bird species. Black-capped chickadee, hairy woodpeckers, ruffed grouse, magpies, and great horned owls can be observed in all seasons. Summer residents include: red-eyed vireo, least flycatcher and northern oriole. Binomial name Parus atricapillus or Poecile atricapilla Linnaeus, 1766 The Black-capped Chickadee, Parus atricapillus or Poecile atricapilla, is a small songbird. ... Binomial name Bonasa umbellus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus, is a medium-sized grouse. ... Binomial name Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, is a small songbird. ... Binomial name Empidonax minimus (Baird, 1843) The Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus, is a small insect-eating bird. ...

The invertebrate population in the woodland is enormous. Some of the most common invertebrates are roundworms, snails, segmented worms, centipedes, mites, spiders and mosquitoes. Poplar gore beetles and forest tent caterpillars are destructive to the tree cover.

Rivers and streams erode valleys throughout the parkland ecoregion. Steep hills and ravines result in a unique topography. Southwest slopes with increased exposure to the sun are dry and often grass covered while the shaded north and east exposures retain more moisture and tend to be wooded. Some forms of vegetation unique to the ravines include: poplar, spruce, river birch, willow, and river alder, on the northern slopes.

Water dependent mammals who make the ravines their home are beaver, muskrats, otters and mink. Birds which prefer the ravine habitat include king fishers and bank swallows. Insects in this region include caddis flies, may flies and black flies. Binomial name Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Muskrat or Musquash (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a large aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe. ... Binomial name Riparia riparia (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) is a migratory passerine bird in the swallow family. ...

Lakes, shallow open water, marshes, and grassy wetlands are the products of glacial action and melt. In the larger depressions, permanent bodies or water remain. Most of the lakes have a saline character, thus most shore vegetation has a high tolerance of salty soils.

Wet meadows are flooded in the spring and dry by fall. They contain rushes, sedges and grasses and provide excellent opportunities to study the similarities and differences of these forms of vegetation. There is an abundance of bird life around the parkland marshes. Many species of ducks make their summer homes in these waters and Canada geese nest in the more remote marshes. Blackbirds, marsh wrens and black terns nest in the reeds. Franklin gulls nest in the marsh vegetation, but range over agricultural fields for grasshoppers, crickets, and mice. Shore birds include: avocet, [piping plover]], spotted sandpiper, willet, common snipe and killdeer. Rushes refers to the raw, unedited footage shot during the making of a motion picture. ... Genera See text The family Cyperaceae, or the Sedge family, is a taxon of monocot flowering plants that superficially resemble grasses or rushes. ... Binomial name Cistothorus palustris (Wilson, 1810) The Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris, is a small songbird of the Wren family. ... Binomial name Chlidonias niger (Linnaeus, 1758) The Black Tern, Chlidonias niger, is a small tern. ... Species Recurvirostra avosetta Recurvirostra americana Recurvirostra novaehollandiae Recurvirostra andina The four species of Avocets are waders in the same bird family as the stilts. ... Binomial name Actitis macularia (Linnaeus, 1766) The Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia is a small shorebird. ... Binomial name Catoptrophorus semipalmatus Gmelin, 1789 Willet is a variant of the name William The Willet, Catoptrophorus semipalmatus, is a large shorebird. ... Binomial name Gallinago gallinago (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago, is a small, stocky shorebird. ... Binomial name Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 The Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, is a medium-sized plover. ...

Parkland sloughs make excellent areas for conduction pond studies as they are the homes of a wide variety of aquatic life.

The Aspen Understory

Aspen Stands

There are three main factors which influence the understory vegetation in the aspen stands of the mixed wood forest.

1. Good sun exposure encourages a dense vegetation growth below the canopy. This is of particular importance in the early spring before the trees are in leaf.

2. Warm soil and air temperature at the base level result in rapid melting process in spring which favours the growth of shrubs.

3. A large percentage of precipitation passes through the canopy. This provides a protective snow cover in winter and in warm seasons precipitation percolates through the leaf cover to nourish plants which require surface soil moisture.

The result of the above factors is an extensive understory of vegetation in the aspen forest. Common shrubs and herbs are: saskatoon, red-osier dogwood, raspberry, prickly rose, currants and bracted honeysuckle, ppwild sarsaparilla]], hairy lungwort, asters, and peavine. Twinflower, strawberries, bunchberries, horsetails and wintergreen from an attractive grown cover. Binomial name Amelanchier alnifolia The Juneberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is a serviceberry found in western North America. ... A currant can refer to Redcurrants and blackcurrants, berries of the genus Ribes. ... Binomial name Linnaea borealis L. The twinflower (sometimes written twin flower, Linnaea borealis) is a woodland shrub. ... Species Subgenus Equisetum Equisetum arvense - Field or Common Horsetail Equisetum bogotense - Andean Horsetail Equisetum diffusum - Himalayan Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile - Water Horsetail Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail Equisetum pratense - Shade Horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail Equisetum telmateia - Great Horsetail Subgenus Hippochaete Equisetum giganteum - Giant Horsetail Equisetum myriochaetum - Mexican Giant Horsetail Equisetum hyemale... Wintergreen was originally a term referring to a plant that continues photosynthesis (i. ...

The mineral soil is covered by a decaying cover of organic matter. Numerous consumers and decomposers create humus materials. Burrowing animals mix the new fertile materials with the soil to form a rich rooting compound. In economics, consumers are individuals or households that consume goods and services generated within the economy. ... ... For article about the oriental food, see Hummus. ...

The Spruce Forest Understory

Spruce Stands: Species About 35; see text. ...

Factors which influence the understory vegetation of spruce stands in the boreal forest association include: Boreal means northern from the eponymous Boreas, god of the North Wind in Greek mythology. ...

1. Year round reduced sun exposure below the canopy restricts the forest undergrowth to shade tolerant species.

2. A large percentage of the precipitation is trapped in the upper tree boughs of the spruce forest and is released through evaporation. The ground cover of feather moss quickly absorbs most of the moisture which does penetrate the canopy. These factors combine to cause near drought conditions in the underlying mineral soils.

3. The fallen acidic spruce needles are not fully decomposed and combine with the moss base. Water held in the moss carries the acid from the spruce needles into the mineral soil and leaches out soil nutrients – leaving a high acid, low nutrient soil base which is unsuitable for most boreal vegetation.

As a result of the above factors the forest floor ranges from nearly devoid of vegetation to a dense carpet of feather moss. A sparse community of shade tolerant shrubs exists in this environment. Some species of plants in the understory are green alder, low bush cranberry, prickly rose, bunchberry, twinflower, wild lily-of-the-valley, northern Comandra and wintergreens. Species Vaccinium macrocarpon Vaccinium microcarpum Vaccinium oxycoccus The cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccus, or in some treatments, in the distinct genus Oxycoccus. ... Binomial name Linnaea borealis L. The twinflower (sometimes written twin flower, Linnaea borealis) is a woodland shrub. ... Binomial name Convallaria majalis Lily of the valley is a flowering plant of the Convallaria genus. ...

The Mixedwood Stands Understory

Mixedwood Stands:

There are several factors which influence the mixedwood stands in the boreal forest.

Where there are stands of aspen and spruce forests in close association with each other, a mixed wood forest occurs. Each group forms its own microassociation as described previously.

When the spruce and aspen forest types are mixed, the result can be quite different from the aspen or spruce stands. Animal and vegetation associations from each type combine to create considerable diversity of habitat which is typical of either spruce or aspen stands. The mixture of the transition soils provides an attractive environment with either pure spruce or pure aspen woodlands. An example of a bird which prefers a mixed wood habitat is the yellow rumped warbler.

The mixedwood forest wetlands consist mainly of bogs, fens and marshes. Black spruce, tamarack, willow and bog and sphagnum mosses are the major vegetation types found in these lowlands. Dwarf birch and sedges cover large, wet areas with jack pine occurring on the sandy ridges. Virgin boreal acid bogs at Browns Lake Bog, Ohio A bog is a wetland type that accumulates peat, a deposit of dead plant material. ... Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) is a standard notation for describing a particular board position of a Chess game. ... Binomial name Picea mariana The Black Spruce (Picea mariana) is a common coniferous tree in North America. ... Binomial name Larix laricina Tamarack Larch, or Tamarack or American Larch (Larix laricina) is a species of larch native to northern North America, mainly in Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the northeastern United States from Minnesota to northern Pennsylvania; there... Species See text Sphagnum is a genus of mosses commonly called peat moss due to its prevalence in peat bogs. ... Binomial name Pinus banksiana Lamb. ...

Wildlife in the boreal forest includes species such as bear, moose, foxes, coyotes, beaver, snowshoe hare and red squirrels. Several species of warblers find this a preferred habitat. Solitary sandpipers and Canada geese are residents of the wetland. Families Charadridae Jacanidae Rostratulidae Ibidorhynchidae Recurvirostridae Haematopodidae Scolopacidae Dromadidae Burhinidae Glareolidae Thinocoridae Waders, called Shorebirds in North America (where wader is used to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons), are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. ... Binomial name Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), colloquially Canadian Goose in North America, belongs to the Branta genus of geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species. ...