You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and how to attend are included below:
DATE: 02 July 2024
TIME: 10 AM (PT)
DEFENCE MODE: Remote
Virtual Attendance: Zoom
Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote/online defences.
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THESIS ENTITLED: THE TAXONOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF GROUND ARTHROPODS IN A MID-SIZED BRITISH COLUMBIA CITY WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON PHORIDS
ABSTRACT: Urban environments can host diverse arthropod communities that provide critical ecosystem services. Yet cities are complex, heterogenous habitats with many different land management practices at small spatial scales, often with variable effects on arthropods. Arthropods should be considered during urban development, which often involves habitat destruction or modification that threatens or alters arthropod biodiversity and the services they provide, such as pollination and pestcontrol. In this study, I investigated how urban land use types impact the taxonomic and functional diversity of ground arthropods. I compared arthropod communities from industrial, greenbelt, and residential land use types across twelve sites (n=4 per land use type) in Prince George, a mid-sized British Columbia city, sampled in 2015. I also focused on phorids (Diptera: Phoridae) in chapter two, which represent one of the most taxonomically rich and abundant insect groups in urban spaces. I sampled phorids from 30 sites during the summer of 2022. For ground arthropods, neither functional nor taxonomic diversity differed significantly between land use types. Composition of communities, however, was distinct and urbanized land use types favoured herbivorous taxa. For the 2022 data, 99 operational taxonomic units were detected with DNA barcoding, with greenbelt, edge, and residential areas harbouring the most diverse and abundant fly communities. Overall, Prince George hosts species-rich, functionally diverse arthropod communities, even in its most urbanized land use types. This work provides a foundation for management and preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services in similar urban habitats
COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP:
Chair: Dr. Ranjana Bird, University of Northern British Columbia
Examining Committee Members:
Supervisor: Dr. Dezene Huber, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Felix Sperling, University of Alberta
Committee Member: Dr. Che Elkin, University of Northern British Columbia
External Examiner: Dr. Carly Ziter, Concordia University
Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar,
University of Northern British Columbia
Email: grad-office@unbc.ca
Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar,
University of Northern British Columbia
Email: grad-office@unbc.ca
Jacqui Dockray, Research Project Officer - Natural Sciences
Email: jacqueline.dockray@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-6357
or
Mostafa Sabzevari, Research Project Officer - Applied Sciences and Engineering
seyedmostafa.sabzevari@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5616
Jacqui Dockray, Research Project Officer - Natural Sciences
Email: jacqueline.dockray@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-6357
or
Mostafa Sabzevari, Research Project Officer - Applied Sciences and Engineering
seyedmostafa.sabzevari@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5616
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629
Sharleen Balogh, Research Project Officer
Office of Research and Innovation
Email: sharleen.balogh@unbc.ca
Phone: 250-960-5629