Abstract
Impact of Scale on the Ecological Assessment of Disturbance in the Boreal Forest Track: Ecology and Conservation Author(s): Matthew Smith This study looked at the impact of scale on the measurement and assessment of disturbance. Ecologically significant scales were derived from reviewing the home ranges of significant indicator species within Canada's boreal north. A study landbase was then examined to determine the effect of different disturbance features on the ecologically relevant scales. The results suggest an important interplay between the footprints of disturbances and their overlap with home ranges size. For organisms with small home ranges, disturbances have either a catastrophic or no effect, but the impact is usually restricted to a single factor. As home range size increases, the effect of development is increasingly cumulative. That is, more disturbances are likely to play a role in impacting organisms. Second, the effect is less catastrophic and more incremental. Matthew Smith Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Box 8000 Boyle , Alberta T0A 0M0 CA Phone: (780) 525-8351 E-mail: smithmat@telusplanet.net |
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