Comparing soil nematode composition in bluebunch wheatgrass P. spicata root to the occurrence of invasive plants C. stoebe and L. dalmatica

Denny, Oliver (author)
Harrison, Scott (thesis advisor)
British Columbia Institute of Technology School of Construction and the Environment (Degree granting institution)
Simon Fraser University Faculty of Environment (Degree granting institution)

Dissertation/thesis

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© Oliver Denny, 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright heron may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphics, electronic, or mechanical including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission of the author.

British Columbia Institute of Technology

2019-04-16

64 pages

The viability of native bunchgrass ecosystems throughout the PPxh BEC subzone and in Kenna Cartwright Park (KCP) in Kamloops B.C. are under threat by invasive plants. Once established, invasive plants are difficult to eradicate and can predominate the landscape. I collected soil samples from a relatively undisturbed bunchgrass reference site composed of native bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and I collected soil samples from a bunchgrass site occupied by the invasive plants, spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) and dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), to compare the soil nematode communities. My results reveal differences in the community-level biodiversity and abundance of soil nematodes between sites. The Maturity Index and the Plant Parasitic Index indicate that the native bunchgrass site had a “Structured” soil food web and that the site occupied by invasive plants had a “Basal” soil food web. My results indicate soil nematodes are useful as bioindicators of soil properties and these data provide useful criteria to help prioritize sites for ecological restoration.

Nematology
Invasive plants
Pseudoroegneria spicata
Biological indicators
Ecological restoration

Invasive plants
Bluebunch wheatgrass
Indicators (Biology)
Restoration ecology

School of Construction and the Environment

electronic

Master of Science