This week, we had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Curtis Bjork describe his exploration of the Robson Valley, and his discovery of a plethora of species and ecosystems previously thought absent from BC. I have always known the Ancient Forest to be a beautiful habitat for large trees, but had not considered the variety of lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants that have also made this unique ecosystem their home. I was especially interested to learn about Cyanolichens and their sensitivity to (acidic) air pollution, which explains their absence from the Prince George area despite forested areas around the city boasting similarly large Cottonwoods. I also found it alarming to hear how pronounced the invasive species are becoming, and how they propagate along resource roads. This is a subsequent effect of resource extraction and needs to be dealt with by resource managers. Furthermore, I learned that a significant factor in lichen variety is rock type, with Limestone being the most interesting host for lichen species found in the Robson Valley.

Curtis was an excellent presentor, however, If I had one suggestion for further clarity in the presentation, it would be to have labels on each slide. I found it difficult to understand some of the names for various species as he said them very quickly.

A take away for me in terms of applicability to my own research is how Curtis used a Log/Log scale to compare varying study size areas. I could see this being a useful tool in my own research. Also I may consider sample areas that are one order of magnitude up and down from my own sites for comparison purposes. Finally, I enjoyed both the “intuitive wander” approach and the “Species Effort Curve” in relation to his exploration of the large sample area.

Curtis responded well to questions. I particularly enjoyed the response to the question of where such biological abundance could have originated/persisted given the fact that ice covered much of this region during the Quaternary period. He responded by giving three theories:

1. Sheltering of Robson Valley species

2. Regeneration of flora under retreating ice

3. Retreating ice sheet wiping the slate clean.

I look forward to more work being done on the topic, so that this question could have a definite answer.

I would have asked, given the opportunity, “how can we manage the spread of invasive plants, without harming the plethora of natural species in the area?”