The Canadian Field-Naturalist (E-Journal)
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Invertebrate settlement and diversity on a glass sponge reef
Get PDFGlass sponge reefs are an ecosystem unique to the continental shelf of the northeast Pacific Ocean. Due to their vulnerability and limited distribution, several sponge reef protection initiatives exist within Canadian waters with the common goal of conserving biodiversity. To date, the biodiversity associated with sponge reefs has largely been assessed using remote video methods that allow us to describe large fauna associated with the reefs. However, small organisms are typically missed, resulting in an underestimate of reef-associated biodiversity. In this study we aimed to further describe invertebrate biodiversity associated with sponge reefs. Sponge reefs recently discovered in Howe Sound, British Columbia are within safe recreational SCUBA diving limits allowing us to examine macrofaunal settlement timing and community structure using diver-deployed settlement plates. We examined the effect of settlement plate material and elevation above the benthos within the reef on invertebrate community structure. A total of 70 taxa settled on the plates representing 10 phyla, including two phyla not previously described on sponge reefs: Nemertea (ribbon worms) and Platyhelminthes (flatworms). There were no significant differences in taxa richness, diversity, or community structure associated with settlement plate material or height above the benthos. Ours is the first report of invertebrate settlement on a sponge reef in the Salish Sea and the first description of larval settlement timing for nine invertebrate species in the northeast Pacific
"Yellowstone Cougars: Ecology Before and During Wolf Restoration" by Toni K. Ruth, Polly C. Buotte, and Maurice G. Hornocker, 2019. [book review]
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Cougar (Puma concolor) predation on Northern Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in central British Columbia
Get PDFCaribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations are sympatric with Cougars (Puma concolor) in only a few areas, primarily in western Canada. Records of Cougar–Caribou interactions are limited and no published accounts describe Cougar predation on the shallow-snow, terrestrial-lichen-eating Northern Mountain Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), referred to as Designatable Unit (DU) 7 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. In 2018 and 2019, two incidents of confirmed Cougar predation on radio-collared Caribou were documented in the declining Itcha-Ilgachuz subpopulation in west-central British Columbia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published record of Cougar predation on DU7 Northern Mountain Caribou. Increased landscape disturbance and climate change may be increasing apparent competition between deer (Odocoileus spp.), feral Horses (Equus ferus caballus), and Caribou, leading to Cougar predation in areas of Caribou range where it previously has not been documented. Cougar predation may become a conservation concern, as declining Caribou herds are susceptible to any increased predation pressure
