Ecozones
What is an Ecozone? Through their research, geographers gather a great deal of data about Canada. To make sense of this information, they often organize and group areas with similar features. An Ecozone a multi-factor region based on a combination of natural and human characteristics. Ecozone s differ from Biomes which deal primarily with vegetation.
Characteristics of an Ecozone Geology Landforms Climate Soil Vegetation Wildlife Humans Water
Why use Ecozones? We need to learn how to act wisely with respect to our natural habitat and the resources it provides. One of the first steps is to understand how Earth s natural systems work and interact with each other! In other words we need to use Systems Thinking! Why do we include human systems in Ecozones?
Canada s Ecozones Canada has a rich diversity of landscapes which are organized into 20 Ecozones. 15 terrestrial or land 5 marine or ocean Ecozones are like pieces of a puzzle that fit together to form Canada. The natural and human features of these environments are interact with each other and are dynamic!
Do you know your Ecozones? Ecozones give you a broad, general picture of how natural and human systems interact in different parts of Canada. Because these zone are vast in size, they containing many smaller ecosystems, each with their own unique features. Thus, Ecozones are further sub divided into smaller, more specific regions.
Terms Ecology: Biodiversity: The study of the interactions of living (biotic)things with one another and with the non-living (abiotic) parts of the natural environment. The diversity of species on earth Hint: Always consider the root words! Terra = earth Marine= sea or ocean Eco = Home (habitat of plants and animals) Bio= Life Familiarize yourself with page 106 in your text!
Taiga Shield Ecozone
Location The Taiga Shield Ecozone stretches across part of Canada's subarctic north. With an area of over 1.3 million square kilometres, the Taiga Shield is one of Canada's largest ecozones. The Taiga Shield is an ecological crossroads where climates, soils, plants, birds, and mammals from two worlds -- the Boreal and the Arctic -meet.
Climate This ecozone has short summers with long days and cold, long winters with long nights. Snow and freshwater ice-cover persist for six to eight months. Average annual temperatures are just below freezing, and mean summer temperatures are at most 11ºC. Precipitation ranges from 200mm a year in the west to 1000mm on the Labrador coast.
Vegetation Cool temperatures, a short growing season, frequent forest fires, and thin, acidic soils covering permafrost are among the many challenges faced by plants in this ecozone. A patchwork of wetlands, forests, meadows, and shrublands covers this area. The forests of the Taiga Shield are dominated by a few highly adaptable tree species such as Black Spruce and Jack Pine.
Wildlife Birds As an ecological crossroads between two very different ecosystems -the boreal and the arctic -- the ecozone offers a relatively wide variety of habitats for birds. The area's abundant water attracts hundreds of thousands of birds, which come to nest or simply feed and rest before journeying farther north to arctic breeding grounds. Spring migration brings a multitude of bird species through this region, including various ducks, geese, loons and swans. Two representative ground-dwelling birds are the spruce grouse and willow ptarmigan which are popular game birds in the region.
Wildlife - Mammals About fifty species of mammals are found in the Taiga Shield, including the large herbivores barren-ground caribou, woodland caribou, and moose. Wolves, black and grizzly bears and the lynx are the larger predators. Smaller predators include the coyote, red and arctic fox, muskrat, wolverine, weasel, mink, marten, otter, and least weasel. The smaller herbivores include the snowshoe hare, beaver, brown lemming, red-backed vole, northern red-backed vole, and red squirrel.
Population Centres Primarily wilderness, the Taiga Shield is sparsely populated, with approximately 340,000 inhabitants, over 60% of which is First Nations. Settlements along the coast arose during the time of the fur trade, but later settlement has been largely dictated by mining. Most settled areas developed around mining or hydroelectric activity often being isolated from other centres. Yellowknife, NWT Uranium City, SK Labrador City, NL
Human Activities The economic importance of mining to the economy of the Taiga Shield is significant. The largest mineral rush in Canadian history started in 1991 following the discovery of diamonds in the Slave Geological Province in the Northwest Territories. Uranium mining is conducted in northern Saskatchewan, gold is extracted near Yellowknife, and iron is mined in Quebec and Labrador. Despite urbanization, most of the urban areas still have untouched land nearby, and subsistence activities such as hunting, trapping and fishing are still common.
Threats Human development continues to be a major threat to the natural systems of this ecozone. Mining can cause fragmentation of the forest, diversion of water flow, and pollution. As reclamation and remediation of affected landscapes can take decades, mining can have long lasting effects on the ecozone. Hydroelectric developments alter the hydrology of river systems and often influence wetlands and associated riparian and upland habitats. Human caused climate change also poses a threat to the flora and fauna of the Taiga Shield. What are some threats in our communities?
How can we limit or reverse the negative effects of these developments? http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ys5ahxpm6o