Structure and dynamics of the vegetation in Wapusk National Park and the Cape Churchill Wildlife Management Area of Manitoba, community and landscape scales

Abstract

This study, in Wapusk National Park and the Cape Churchill Wildlife Management Area of northern Manitoba, uses a combination of satellite imagery (1996 Landsat-5 TM mosaic) and extensive ground data to characterize the vegetation of the region at both the landscape and community scales. Field data on the floristic composition, moisture, and vegetation structure were collected at 600 sites throughout the study area between June and September of 1998-2000. From these data, sites with highly unique floristic characteristics, disturbance features, and unvegetated sites were recognized as distinct vegetation types and removed from further analysis. The remaining 272 sites, containing 114 species, were sorted into 6 major vegetation types using cluster analysis. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was then used to examine the extent to which trends in the vegetation types reflect environmental variability. Vegetation types were examined in order to identify a set of 16 classes that were suitable for mapping at the landscape scale using satellite imagery. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)