Botany | Zoology | Community Ecology | Data Management

The CDC has Botany, Zoology ,Community Ecology and Data Management Programs

The CDCs Botany Program, led by Sean Blaney with assistance from Cindy Spicer, examines vascular plants and bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). The program ranks species and compiles location information, and conducts field surveys related to most plant species but focuses on those that are provincially rare.

All vascular plants have been ranked for Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick however only a few rare liverworts and rare moss species have been ranked. CDC bryophyte ranks were developed by René Belland of the Devonian Botanical Garden, Edmonton, NB who has worked throughout Atlantic Canada. Bryophyte ranks for New Brunswick were refined with some liverwort ranks added by Bruce Bagnell, B&B Botanical Consultants.

CDC botanical expertise is provided both through continuing formal involvement with committees or organizations such as the COSEWIC Vascular Plant Species Specialist Group and the Nova Scotia Coastal Plain Flora Recovery team. In addition, expertise is provided through a variety of less formal involvements such as assisting with rare plant training and presentations.

For further information about the Botany Program contact Sean Blaney (506-364-2658).

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The CDCs Zoology Program, led by Kate Bredin, focuses primarily on rare terrestrial but sometimes onmarine animal species in Atlantic Canada.

Species lists and rarity ranks are compiled for mammals, birds, reptiles, and selected insects.

The CDC compiles location information for, or tracks, animal species with rarity ranks of S1 (extremely rare) to S3 (uncommon). This shorter list, sometimes called a "species tracking list", is organized by animal group. The CDC receives rare species location information in different formats from various sources, including: existing databases, scientific literature, and researchers. This information is compiled into a standardized database of element occurrence records (EORs) that enable GIS mapping of the data.

Field surveys are conducted, as funding permits.

For additional information contact Kate Bredin (506-364-2660).

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The CDC Community Ecology Program is led by Sean Basquill. The program develops and incorporates information about the composition, structure, habitat, occurrence, distribution, rarity, and conservation status of Maritime terrestrial community types into CDC databases; and shares that information with CDC clients.

The Atlantic CDC uses the plant association, as defined by the International Classification of Ecological Communities (ICEC), for identifying, describing, and classifying natural ecological communities. Vascular plants are used as the ICEC's principal criterion for terrestrial class names. When complete the Community Ecology Program will have identified both: the diversity of communities endemic to the Maritimes and beyond, and locations of community exemplars.

The CDC concentrates on the following physiognomic community groups:

• Treed communities ranging from dry uplands to wet lowlands (communities where tree species are >5m tall and represent >10% of the upper-most stratum of vegetation);
• Non-treed wet lowlands (marshes, fens, swamps, etc.) and;
• Non-treed dry uplands (meadows, barrens, headlands, etc.).

To date, the program has focused on treed communities.

The Program identifies locations where each community element is known or predicted to occur.

Community data is being used to support initiatives being led by CDC partner organizations, e.g., ecosite predictions; Northern Appalachian-Acadian Ecoregion Conservation Plan; Forest Ecosystems of Canada; Canadian National Vegetation Classification.

For further information about the Community Ecology Program, contact Sean Basquill (506-364-2664).

Stefen Gerriets, Senior Data Manager, has managed the CDC’s data since 1997. Those interested in data, data manipulation, and management, or data focused reports from the CDC should contact Stefen at 506-364-2657 in the Maritimes, or Meherzad Romer at 709-637-2969 for similar information for Newfoundland and Labrador.