Terrestrial diversity of Britsh Columbia
Pojar, J. (1993). Terrestrial diversity of Britsh Columbia, in: Fenger, M.A. et al. (Ed.) Our living legacy: Proceedings of a Symposium on Biological Diversity. pp. 177-190
In: Fenger, M.A. et al. (1993). Our living legacy: Proceedings of a Symposium on Biological Diversity. The Royal British Columbia Museum: Victoria. ISBN 0-7718-9355-8. XIII, 392 pp., more
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| Abstract |
Provincial terrestrial biodiversity is compared to that of surrounding jurisdictions and other provinces. Within a global context, endemism is low, but British Columbia has higher biodiversity than other similar jurisdictions with temperate climates. More than half of all the vascular plant species in Canada occur in B.C. More than 75% of Canada's byroflora is represented, as are 85% of all the species of lichens in northwestern North America. Provincial fauna is also diverse, with 70% of Canada's bird species and 80% of Canada's terrestrial mammal species represented here. True flies, beetles, wasps, bees and ants are the richest insect groups and all are well represented in B.C. Provincial ecosystem diversity is created by physical diversity, and by the variety of climates created by complex topography. Some centres of plant richness and rarity are the Strait of Georgia complex, the dry interior and the Peace River region. The Queen Charlotte Islands are floristically depauparate, but have some endemic taxa. Other notable biologically diverse areas of the province are seabird islands, fiord lands, the Rocky Mountain Trench, the Fraser Lowland, Brooks Peninsula, the Chilcotin Fraser Junction, Haines Triangle and numerous alpine areas. |
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