User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
My chosen study location is next to the Cougar Creek Mountain Bike Jump Park in Canmore Alberta. There is a network of footpaths which connect the surrounding communities and in this particular spot there has been an abundance of water that has accumulated around one very large tree with no other growth for about a 4 meter radius around this tree. The main tree in this location is a White Spruce (picea glauca) tree and surrounding it is a cluster of Trembling Aspens (Populus tremuloides) as well as other White Spruce and Engelmann Spruce (P. Engelmannii) trees. There were Deer and Elk tracks present in addition to various dog paw prints but as this area is a common walking trail it is difficult to know whether the present paw prints were of domesticated dogs of from the resident wolf pack as they are also found frequenting the area.
As this region is at the bottom of the Bow Valley this would be considered part of the montane region of the Rocky Mountains. This region is known for diverse wildlife and plant species as the variation of meadows and forested areas provides plenty of cover for prey species in addition to many food sources for the community. This trail network suffers from over usage from the human population in the summer so the diversity and abundance of wildflowers in the summer months can greatly vary from year to year.
- Will the areas with evidence of the most human usage show the least species diversity for the local flora?
- To what extent will wildflower populations respond to good or poor water drainage as new growth begins to sprout as we approach spring?
- How does the elevation of the various tree populations relate to the growth and frequency of moss growth on tree trunks.
