Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands

44 Pages·2002·1.8 MB·English

1
Arthropods of
Canadian Grasslands
Number 8 2002
Contents
Contributionswelcome;Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . insidefrontcover
Grasslandsnews:
Prospectusavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Secondfocussite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
B.C.Grasslandsmappingproject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Grasslandsprojectaction
Grasslandspublicationplanned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Symposium2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Grasslandsprojectkeysite2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
ArthopodsofCanadianGrasslands:Prospectus . . . . . . . . . . 5
EntomologistsswarmtoOnefourin2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
PrairieSpidersofAlbertaandSaskatchewan . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Spur-throatedgrasshoppersoftheCanadianprairies. . . . . . . . 16
VoyagestotheVortek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
DistributionalnotesonAgromyzidae(Diptera)fromalvars . . . . . 27
Albertansvoteroughfescueasofficialnativeprairiegrass . . . . . 30
ManitobaTallGrassPrairiePreserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Webwatch:LastMountainLakeNationalWildifeArea . . . . . . . 33
Recentpublication:Tallgrassprairieandtheuseoffire. . . . . . . 35
Mailinglistforthegrasslandsnewsletter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslandssupportsthegrasslandsprojectoftheBiologicalSurveyofCanada
(TerrestrialArthropods)byprovidinginformationrelevanttothestudyofgrasslandarthropodsinCanada.
356 species of spiders, including this
salticid, are known from the prairie
ecozone of Alberta and
Saskatchewan. Read about this
fauna on page 11
Contributions welcome
PleaseconsidersubmittingitemstoArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands
Currentresearch-
Grasslandsite
projectreports
descriptions
Shortnewsitems Featurearticles
Grasslandspecies Selected
accounts publications
Contributionssuchasthese,aswellasotheritemsofinteresttostudentsofgrasslandsandtheirar-
thropods,arewelcomedbytheeditor.Thispublication(formerlyNewsletter,ArthropodsofCana-
dianGrasslands)appearsannuallyinMarch;finalcopydeadlineforthenextissueisJanuary31,
2003.
Editor:
H.V.Danks
BiologicalSurveyofCanada
(TerrestrialArthropods)
CanadianMuseumofNature
P.O.Box3443,Station“D”
Ottawa,ON K1P6P4
613-566-4787(tel.)
613-364-4022(fax)
[email protected]
ArticleswithoutotheraccreditationarepreparedbytheEditor.
ThewebsiteoftheBiologicalSurveyisat:http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/bschome.htm
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands
1
Grasslands news
Prospectus available
TheprospectusfortheArthropodsofCana- habitatsinCanadaandabriefreviewofresearch
dianGrasslandsistheframeworkforongoingde- todateonthearthropodsofCanadiangrasslands.
velopmentoftheGrasslandsProject. This ReadtheExecutiveSummaryonpage5ofthis
documentdescribesthescope,objectives,ratio- newsletterandlookforthecompletetextinthe
naleandanticipatedproductsoftheproject.The GrasslandssectionofthewebsiteoftheBiologi-
prospectusalsocontainsanoverviewofgrassland calSurveyofCanada(seeinsidefrontcover).
Second focus site
Aseriesofannualgroupfieldtripsinkey southeasternManitoba.Thisisageographically
grasslandhabitatsbeganlastyearwithasuccess- restricted,threatenedandperhapsthemostspe-
fultriptoOnefour(seereportonp.7).Thesite cies-richofCanada’sgrasslandtypes.Formorein-
for2002willbetheTallGrassPrairePreservein formationontheJulyexpeditionpleaseseep.2.
BC Grasslands Mapping Project
ThegoaloftheBCGrasslandsMappingPro- TheBCGrasslandsMappingProjectisa
jectistoproduceacomprehensiveinventoryofBC three-yearjointprojectoftheGrasslandsConserva-
grasslands.Thisprojectendeavourstomapnotonly tionCouncilofBritishColumbia,government,and
thewellknown,abundantgrasslandsofthe non-governmentorganizationsandisduetobecom-
Kamloops,Cariboo,andNelsonregions,butalso pletedin2003.Forfurtherinformationseethe
thelesserknownandsmallergrasslandecosystems websiteoftheGrasslandsConservationCouncilof
oftheprovince. BritishColumbia:http://www.bcgrasslands.org.
Grasslands project action
Grasslands Publication in Planning Stages
TerryA.Wheeler
DepartmentofNaturalResourceSciences,McGillUniversity,MacdonaldCampus,Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue,QC,
H9X3V9,[email protected]
UnlikemanypreviousinitiativesoftheBio- relationshipsandinteractionsofarthropodsin
logicalSurveyofCanada,thescopeofthegrass- selectedgrasslandhabitats.Manyrecentandongo-
landsprojectlendsitselftomultipleproducts, ingstudiesofgrasslandarthropodshavebeende-
includingthreeplannedmajorvolumesdealing signedtoaddressecologicalquestionsbeyond
withdifferentaspectsofthediversity,ecology strictspeciesinventories.Suchquestionsinclude
andinteractionsofCanadiangrasslandarthro- analysesofcommunitystructure,changesinspe-
pods.ThefirstmajorvolumewillbeentitledAr- ciesassemblages,andeffectsofextrinsicfactors,
thropodsofCanadiangrasslands:ecologyand bothabioticandbiotic,ondiversityandabun-
interactionsingrasslandhabitats.Thefocusof danceofspecies.Thisecologicalapproachisin-
thechaptersinthisvolumewillbetheecological tendedasacomplementtothetaxonomic
Number8,2002
2
inventory-basedapproachsuchasthattakenin currentlybeingcompiled.Thosewishingtopro-
theBiologicalSurveyofCanada’sInsectsofthe poseacontributiontothisvolume,orthoseseek-
Yukon.Taxonomicinventoriesandspecies-level ingmoreinformationonthevolume,should
analyseswillbethefocusofaplannedsubsequent contactTerryWheeler,McGillUniversity
volumearisingfromthisproject.Afinallistof ([email protected]).
chaptersandauthorsfortheecologicalvolumeis
Symposium 2002: Ecology of Arthropods in Canadian Grasslands
TerryA.Wheeler
Someofthechapterstobepublishedinthe above,thefocusofthesymposiumwillbe
abovevolumewillbepresentedasinvitedpapers ecologicalandhabitat-basedstudiesonselected
ataformalsymposiumonEcologyofArthropods grasslandsortaxa.Althoughsomesymposium
inCanadianGrasslandsattheJointAnnualMeet- contributorshavealreadybeenconfirmed,finalor-
ingoftheEntomologicalSocietiesofCanadaand ganizationcontinues.Formoreinformationcon-
Manitoba,tobeheldinWinnipeg,Manitobaon tactthesymposiumorganizer,TerryWheeler
08October2002.Asforthevolumedescribed (addressabove).
Grasslands project key site 2002: Collecting grassland arthropods in
Manitoba
RobertE.Roughley&ChristieBorkowsky
DepartmentofEntomology,UniversityofManitoba,Winnipeg,MB,R3T2N2,
[email protected]; Tel.[phone],Fax[phone]
What: Prairie Insect Collecting at Gardenton, Manitoba, summer, 2002
Where: Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, Gardenton, Manitoba
When: July 11-17, 2002
How: Contact Rob Roughley (see above), bring your camping and collecting gear and
get busy!
TheTallGrassPrairiePreserve(TGPP),lo- hometoadiversefloralandfaunalcommunity
catedinsoutheasternManitoba,wasestablishedin withmorethan36speciesofmammals,130spe-
1989.Itwasdiscoveredfollowinganextensive ciesofbirds,5speciesofamphibians,5species
searchforremnanttallgrassprairiehabitatinthe ofreptiles,and250speciesofplantsincluding
province.LocatedanhourfromWinnipeg,TGPP threeendangered,andthreethreatenedplantspe-
issituatedalongtheeasternedgeofthehistorical cies.Theinsectcommunityhasbeenun-
rangeoftallgrassprairiehabitatinManitoba.In der-sampled:onlytheLepidopterahavebeen
placesthetallgrassprairiehabitatexistsaspure examinedindetailandincludes50speciesofbut-
stands,blendswiththeadjacentaspenparkland,or terfliesandskippersand270speciesofmoths.
blendsintooaksavanahhabitat.TheTGPPis
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands
3
(PhotobyC.Borkowsky)
TheTGPPtopographyslopesgentlytocre- blocks.Aself-guidedhikingtrail,locatedinthe
atecontrastinguplandandwetlandareasthat southblock,wasdesignedinthelate-1990stopro-
mergeseamlesslyintooneanother.Uplandareas videvisitorswiththeopportunitytolearnmore
aredominatedbybigbluestem(Andropogon aboutthehabitataswellastheculturalhistoryof
gerardi)andIndiangrass(Sorghastrumnutans) region.Englishsettlerswerethefirsttoarrivein
anddecadesoffiresuppressionhaveallowedoak thisareamorethan100yearsago;however,after
(Quercusmacrocarpa)andaspen(Populus barelysurvivingtheirfirstManitobawinterandat-
tremuloides)treestomature.Lowlyingportions temptstofarmtherockysoil,mostleftthearea
oftheTGPParedominatedbysedges(Carex andmovedfartherwest.TheBukoviniansettlers
spp.)withprairiecordgrass(Spartinapectinata) fromwesternUkrainewerethenexttoarriveand
andwillowshrubs(Salixspp.)fillingintheinter- whileitwasastruggle,theywereabletocarve
mediateareas.Duringthetimeofthecollecting outalivingofftheruggedland.TheUkrainian
trip,nearly30speciesofplantswillbeinfull Museum,locatedinGardenton,hostsanannual
flowerincludingtheendangeredwesternprairie festivaltocelebratetheculturalhistoryofthe
fringedorchid(Platantherapraeclara),anevent area,completewithtraditionalmusic,costumes,
thathasdrawnvisitorsfromacrossCanadaand
aroundtheworld.Whileseveralsmallerpopula-
tionsareknownfromtheUnitedStates,thepopu-
lationinsoutheasternManitobaistheonlyonein
Canadaandisbyfarthelargestonthecontinent.
Thisspeciesstandsnearly45cmtallandpro-
ducestwoto15creamywhiteflowers,eachof
whichmeasuresapproximately4cmindiameter.
Theeveningairisfilledwithitsvanilla-likefra-
grancethatservestoattractitshawkmoth
pollinators.
TheTGPPhasgrownfromtheinitial130ha
purchasein1989to2500ha,andisarrangedinto
threedistinctareas,thenorth,centralandsouth
(PhotobyC.Borkowsky)
Number8,2002
4
andfood.St.Michael’sChurch,located2.5km Thefollowinglinkshavemoreinformation
westofGardenton,wasthefirstpermanentUkrai- ontheManitobaTallGrassPrairiePreserve:
nianGreekOrthodoxchurchbuiltinCanadaand
continuestoservethecommunity. EnvironmentCanada(includesamapofthearea):
http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/na-
AlllandswithinthePreserveareopentothe ture/whp/df00s08.en.html
public;however,accessdoesnotincludemotor-
izedvehicles.On-site,seasonalstaffincludesthe ManitobaNaturalistsSociety:
manager,anecologist,andabotanist;allwillbe http://www.manitobanature.ca/mbtgprbr.html
onhandduringthetimeofthecollectingtrip.The
headquartersforthePreserveislocatedonafor- NatureConservancyofCanada–Manitoba
merhomesteadandprovidesaccommodations Branch:
andofficespaceforstaff.Spacewillbeavailable http://www.natureconservancy.ca/files/frame.asp?
forsortingandprocessinginsectsamplesandfor lang=e_&region=5&sec=ma_welcome
otherequipment.Visitorsmaychoosetocampat
theheadquartersorstayineitherTolstoiorVita. ManitobaConservation–WildlifeBranch:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/natres/wildlife/manag-
ing/cwhp_tallgrass.html
(MapcourtesyofEnvironmentCanada)
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands
5
Prospectus
Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands
An Initiative of the Biological Survey of Canada
(Terrestrial Arthropods)
J.D.Shorthouse
LaurentianUniversity,DepartmentofBiology,Sudbury,ON,P3E2C6,jshortho.nickel.laurentian.ca
and
T.A.Wheeler
DepartmentofNaturalResourceSciences,McGillUniversity,MacdonaldCampus,Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue,QC,
H9X3V9,[email protected]
Executive Summary
GrasslandsareoneofCanada’smajor restrialArthropods)isamajornationaleffortto
biomes.Thelargestexpanseofgrasslandspans addressthislackofknowledge.
thesouthernportionoftheprairieprovinces,but
similargrasslandsarefoundfromtheYukonto Thelong-termobjectivesoftheGrasslands
easternOntario.Canada’sgrasslandshavebeen Projectaretoaddressthreemajorquestions:
heavilyexploitedforagricultureand,asaresult,
theseecosystemsarenowthreatened.Despite (cid:127) Whatisthebiodiversityofarthropods
theirintensiveusebyhumans,weknowverylittle associatedwithCanadiangrasslands?
aboutthebiodiversity,ecologyandresponsesto
(cid:127) Whataretheecologicalinteractionsbetween
habitatchangeingrasslandcommunities.This
arthropodsandotherspeciesinCanadian
lackofknowledgeisespeciallyacuteinthein-
grasslands?
sectsandotherarthropods,whicharethemostdi-
verse,abundantandecologicallyimportantgroup (cid:127) Whatistheimpactofhumanactivityand
ofanimalsingrasslandhabitats.TheGrasslands climatechangeongrasslandarthropodsand,
ProjectoftheBiologicalSurveyofCanada(Ter- conversely,whataretheimpactsofgrassland
arthropodsonhumanactivities?
(PhotobyJ.D.Shorthouse)
Number8,2002
6
Answeringthesequestionswillinvolve studiesingrasslandarthropodbiology.Majorvol-
manycollaboratorsconductingsystematicand umesonthebiodiversityofgrasslandarthropods,
ecologicalresearchinCanadiangrasslands.Field- theecologyofarthropodsinselectedhabitats,and
workandcollectinginarangeofgrasslandhabi- theinteractionbetweenhumanactivitiesandar-
tatswillfacilitatetaxonomicstudiesof thropodswillprovideavisiblemeansofdissemi-
grassland-associatedarthropods.Systematicre- natingtheknowledgegainedfromthisproject.
searchprovidesthenecessaryframeworkinto Oncethissystematicandecologicalframeworkis
whichecologicalandotherappliedstudiesmust inplace,therewillbemanyopportunitiesforthe
beplaced.Standardizedsamplingprogramsinse- futureuseofarthropoddatainappliedstudies
lectedhabitatswillprovidequantitativedataonar- suchashabitatconservation,andmonitoringthe
thropodpopulationsforanalysesofsimilarities effectsofagriculture,fire,climatechangeand
anddifferencesamongthearthropodcommunities otherhabitatalterations.
ofdifferentlocalitiesandgrasslandtypes.Given
theirintimateconnectionwiththedevelopmentof Withgrowingpublicawarenessofthe
agricultureinwesternCanada,grasslandsprovide BiodiversityCrisis,thescientificcommunityisun-
anexcellentsystemtostudyimpactsofhumanac- derpressuretounderstandandpreserveecosys-
tivitiesonrelativelysimpleecosystems,aswellas tems.Atthesametime,Canada’sinternational
thepotentialeffectsoflong-termfactorssuchas obligationsdictatethatwecatalogue,monitorand
climatechange. protectthefloraandfaunawithinourborders.
Thus,thereisanurgentneedtosurveythe
TheproductsandapplicationsoftheGrass- biodiversityofgrasslandarthropods,themajority
landsProjectwillbediverse.Coreknowledgeon ofwhichplayasyetundiscoveredrolesinthese
arthropoddiversityandecologywillprovidea importantecosystems.TheBiologicalSurveyof
long-termsourceofspecimensanddataforfuture Canadaistheorganizationbestsuitedtocoordi-
natethismajorproject.
(PhotobyJ.D.Shorthouse)
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands
7
Entomologists swarm to Onefour in 2001
K.D.Floate
LethbridgeResearchCentre,AgricultureandAgri-FoodCanada,Box3000,Lethbridge,ABT1J4B1,
[email protected]
Onefour,Albertawasthesceneoflastsum- neighouringPinhornandSageCreekProvincial
mer’sfirstSurvey-sponsoredfieldtriptopromote GrazingReservesweredesignatedinDecember
thecollectionandidentificationofCanada’sgrass- 2001astheOnefourHeritageRangeland(111.65
landarthropods.Co-organizedbySurveymem- km2)bytheAlbertagovernment(seeinset).
bersRobRoughleyandKevinFloate,
entomologistsswarmedtothesitefromBritish TheOnefourHeritageRangelandisrepresen-
Columbia,Alberta,Manitoba,OntarioandNorth tativeofAlberta’sDryMixedgrassSubregion,
Dakota. whichisthewarmestanddriestpartoftheprov-
ince.Itscontinentalclimatehascoldwinters,
Onefour(49°07(cid:1) 00"N;110°28(cid:1) 00"W)isa warmsummersandlowprecipitation.Warmtem-
substationofthefederalgovernment’sLethbridge peraturesandahighaveragewindspeedpromote
ResearchCentre.Establishedin1927,thesubsta- ahighrateofevaporationduringsummermonths.
tionislocatedinthefarsoutheastcornerofthe Meanmaximumsummertemperaturesaverage24
province;onetownshipnorthoftheUnitedStates °Cwithmeanminimumwintertemperaturesof
borderandfourtownshipswestoftheSaskatche- -13°C.ThispatternexplainswhyOnefourocca-
wanborder.Thenearestgrocerystoreandgassta- sionallyappearsinthenationalspotlightasCan-
tionareinElkwaterinCypressHillsProvincial ada’sdailyhotorcoldspot.Totalprecipitation
Park,aboutanhour’sdrivetothenorth.Fore- averages272mmfortheyear.
most,about1.2hourstothenorthwest,isthenear-
estsizablepopulationcentrewithabout600 Habitatcanbestbedescribedasextensive
occupants. grasslandandephemeralwetlandswithminorbad-
landsandriparianshrublandsalongstreams.Nu-
TheOnefoursubstation,encompassingsome merousspeciesofrareplantshavebeenreported
17,000hectares,isthelargestranchoperatedby withsomeoftheonlypopulationsofyuccain
theCanadiangovernment.Aherdofseveralhun- CanadagrowingontheOnefourproperty.Rare
dredanimalsismaintainedprimarilyforresearch
onbeefgeneticsandrangemanagement.Acore
Whatisa“HeritageRangeland”?Heritage
staffoffederalemployeesliveattheranchhead-
Rangelandsareaclassofprotectedareaunder
quarters.Theheadquartersissurroundedby Alberta’s‘SpecialPlaces’program.This
shelterbeltsandconsistsofamainofficebuilding, programpreservesareasrepresentativeofthe
severalhouses,amaintenanceshop,cat- province’snaturalregionsandsubregions.
tle-handlingfacilities,andacommunityhallfor Theclassificationpermitsgrazingbylocal
usewithpermissionoftheOnefourranchman- ranchersandpublicaccesswiththepermission
ofleaseholders.Useofmotorizedvehiclesand
ager.
bicyclesisgenerallybanned,asiscommercial
tourismandtheestablishmentofrecreationand
MuchoftheOnefourpropertyiscomprised campingfacilities.Existinginfrastructure
ofnativegrassland,withlesserareasofbadlands associatedwithsurfaceaccesstomineral
depositsisphasedoutandnonewsurface
associatedwiththeLostRivervalley,whichjoins
accessisgranted.Existingpipeline
withtheMilkRivervalleyjustsouthoftheU.S.
right-of-waysarehonoured,andmaybe
border.Becauseofitsrelativelypristinestate,por- expandedifnootherreasonablealternatives
tionsofthepropertycombinedwiththe canbeidentified.
Number8,2002
8
speciesofbirdsreportedfortheareaincludethe propertyandIanevengreetednewarrivalswitha
mountainplover,bobolinks,Baird’ssparrow, largewindscorpion(Arachnida:Solifugae).Sev-
ferruginoushawks,burrowingowls,loggerhead eralotherspecimensofthesecritters,absentin
shrikes,andsagegrouse.Swiftfoxhavebeenre- mostofCanada,werelatercollected.
leasedinthevicinityanddeerarecommon.
Uponarrival,participantscheckedinatthe
Withpartofthepropertynowdesignatedas mainofficebuildingandsignedtheguestbook.
a“HeritageRangeland”,thefederalgovernment Withthisadministrativedutyoutoftheway,
hasanincreasedresponsibilitytoensurethatits folkshadconsiderablefreedomtocollectwith
activitiesatOnefourdonotadverselyaffectrare onlyafewrestrictions.Visitorswereaskedto
orendangeredspeciesofarthropods.However, driveonlyonroads,tostayoutofpastureswith
managementpracticestoensurethisoutcomecan-
notbeimplementeduntilacomprehensivesurvey
ofarthropodshasbeencompleted.Thissurveyis GrasslandinsectsatOnefour(shortgrass),
currentlybeingperformedunderthedirectionof Stavely(fescue),andSuffield(National
WildlifeArea),AB
Dr.DanJohnsonoftheLethbridgeResearchCen-
tre(seeinset).SelectionofOnefourastheSur- DanJohnsonhascollectionsofarthropods
fromOnefourobtainedusingpitfalltraps,
vey’sfirstlocationforagrasslandarthropod
yellowpantrapsandsweepnetting.Themost
surveywaspartiallytoassistinthisendeavour. recentcollectionsweremadeweeklyduring
summermonthsin2000and2001.Healsohas
Theexpedition! periodiccollectionsfromfescuegrasslandat
Stavely,inthefoothillsoftheRockyMountains,
Toaccommodatediverseschedules,entomol- andSuffield(1993-94,andcurrent).
ogistswereinvitedtoOnefourduringthelast
Identificationsofafewarthropodgroupsare
weekofJuneandthefirstweekofJuly.Several complete,butmanyremain.Danisinterested
folksstayedatElkwaterandtravelledtoOnefour incommunicatingwithotherscollectingin
duringtheday.Hardiersoulstentedattheranch grassland,andespeciallywithpeople
interestedincollaboratingondetailingthe
headquarters,makinggooduseofthecommunity
biodiversityattheseandothergrasslandsites.
hallformealpreparationandinsectsorting.Ian
Ifyouareinterestedinparticulargroups,
Walker,theOnefourranchmanager,andhisstaff arrangementscouldbemadeforcollectionsor
weretheperfecthosts.Notonlydidtheyprovide sorting.Phone[phone],fax[phone],
ore-mailat:[email protected]
directionsandmapsto‘prime’collectinghabitat,
severalpeopleweregivenguidedtoursofthe
ArthropodsofCanadianGrasslands