Jasper National Park Research Articles

Uppermost Cambrian and Lower Ordovician conodont biostratigraphy of the Survey Peak Formation (Ibexian/Tremadoc), Wilcox Pass, Alberta, Canada

The Survey Peak Formation (350 m thick) consists of calcareous shale, mudstone, siltstone, and limestone-pebble conglomerate, and is formally divided into four revised members, successively: Basal Silty Member, Putty Shale Member, Middle Carbonate Member, and Upper Carbonate Member. The Wilcox Pass section, Jasper National Park, Alberta, provides a standard stratigraphic section for the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains and yielded over 4,500 conodonts from 87 samples which are of high species diversity, moderately well preserved, with a conodont Color Alteration Index (CAI) value of 3. Over 50 multielement species representing some 20 genera are identified, and most are illustrated. Conodont zones recognized in the four members include: Basal Silty Member—Eoconodontus notchpeakensis, Cordylodus proavus, C. caboti, C. intermedins, and C. lindstromi; Putty Shale Member—lower C. angulatus; Middle Carbonate Member—upper C. angulatus and coeval Rossodus manitouensis, Colaptoconus priscus (new) and Scolopodus cf. S. rex; Upper Carbonate Member—Striatodontus lanceolatus-S. striatus. In total, ten conodont lineage and assemblage zones are recognized within the Survey Peak Formation. Most can now be precisely correlated with trilobite faunas and acritarch microfloras described from this section, and with conodont zones established for the Great Basin area, Utah-Nevada, and for western Newfoundland. The Survey Peak Formation is of uppermost Cambrian to lower Ibexian (Tremadoc) in age with the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary placed between 26 and 29 m above the base of the formation in the Basal Silty Member.

Arthroderma silverae sp. nov. and Chrysosporium vallenarense, keratinophilic fungi from arctic and montane habitats

Arthroderma silverae sp. nov. is described from canine dung collected in lowland high arctic areas in Svalbard and from high elevation montane woodlands in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Arthroderma silverae is similar to other species of Arthroderma in possessing small, smooth-walled, oblate ascospores, anastomosed hyphae forming a mesh-like peridium, the ability to degrade keratin, and rhexolytically dehiscing conidia assignable to the form-genus Chrysosporium . It is distinguishable by confluent rather than discrete ascocarps, peridial hyphal cells which are often curved, irregularly swollen and dichotomously branched, and by lack of ascocarp appendages. An isolate of Chrysosporium vallenarense obtained from arctic fox ( Alopex lagopus ) dung from high arctic regions near Ny lesund, Svalbard, is described and compared to the type strain.

Country of origin, encounter norms, and crowding in a frontcountry setting

Existing normative studies have focused on backcountry encounter norms reported by North Americans. This study compares encounter norms and perceptions of crowding reported by visitors from five different countries of origin—Canada, United States, Japan, Germany, and England—to a frontcountry day‐use recreation area. Data were obtained from random samples of two types of visitors—those riding in “snocoach” tour vehicles (n = 463) and those on the toe of the glacier (n = 375)—at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta. Results indicated both similarities and differences among the visitors. In terms of differences, Anglo American respondents were least likely to specify a norm, while the Germans and Japanese were most likely. Among those who reported an encounter norm, however, the average tolerance limit did not vary by country of origin. Few differences were also apparent for perceived crowding levels among the five visitor groups. Irrespective of country of origin, when contacts exceeded t...

Holocene palaeoenvironmental record preserved in a paraglacial alluvial fan, Sunwapta Pass, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

The soil stratigraphy of a 1.5 m section in the distal portion of a paraglacial alluvial fan in Sunwapta Pass, Jasper National Park, has been examined as part of a long-term investigation into Holocene palaeoenvironments of the area. The section is complex and its characteristics are a result of both episodic sediment inputs and pedogenesis. A series of sediments comprising debris-flows and aeolian material including three discrete tephra layers (Mazama, St. Helens Yn, Bridge River) underlie the present day soil. Multiple criteria, including stratigraphy, radiocarbon dates, glass shard morphology, and electron microprobe analysis of glass and titanomagnetite composition, confirmed the identity of the tephras. Most fan development occurred before deposition of Mazama tephra. Pedogenesis has been active on the fan throughout the Holocene. Soils have formed between phases of sediment deposition during periods of greater relative site stability. Soil horizonation is best developed where tephric material has influenced soil chemistry and clay mineralogy leading to the formation of Brunisols. The sequence of events inferred from the Icefield Fan's stratigraphy accord well with the Holocene palaeoenvironmental history inferred from other sites in the Canadian Rockies.

Historical Status of Fish Populations in Canadian Rocky Mountain Lakes Inferred from Subfossil Chaoborus (Diptera: Chaoboridae) Mandibles

We used subfossil Chaoborus mandibles preserved in sediments of Cabin, Caledonia, and Celestine lakes, Alberta, to determine whether fish were present in the lakes (which now contain rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and lake chub (Couesius plumbeus)) prior to the first fish stockings early this century. We first tested whether Chaoborus were good indicators of the presence of fish in montane lakes in a survey of 43 lakes in jasper and Banff national parks. Chaoborus americanus was the only species inhabiting fishless lakes and was also found in three lakes with low fish density (co-occurring with C. flavicans in two of the three lakes). Other lakes containing fish had either C. flavicans or no Chaoborus species. Subfossils revealed that C. americanus was the predominant species prior to this century in Cabin and Celestine lakes, suggesting that these lakes were originally fishless; C. americanus (and C. trivittatus in Cabin Lake) were eliminated early this century, contemporarily with the first recorded fish stockings. Chaoborus flavicans was the only species recovered from Caledonia Lake, suggesting that the lake had fish prior to this century; while it is not possible to identify the species originally present, historical evidence suggests that rainbow trout is native to Caledonia Lake.

New Records of Leptothorax Wilsoni From Western North America

The parasitic ant Leptothorax wilsoni Heinze, 1989 was recorded from New Hampshire, Quebec, and New Brunswick. We report on colonies found in two sites in Jasper National Park, Alberta and in one site south of Glacier National Park, Montana. The host species in the west is apparently the same as in the eastern area. Brachypterous intermorphic and fully alate gynomorphic females were found together in two colonies, confirming that L. wilsoni is a species with queen polymorphism. L. wilsoni workers and host species queens lacked in all colonies, as in the samples from eastern North America.

Isoetes × truncata: a newly considered pentaploid hybrid from western North America

Three Isoetes found in Pyramid Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta, constitute populations of tetraploid (2n = 44)I. maritima, hexaploid (2n = 66)I. occidentalis, and an abortive-spored, pentaploid hybrid (2n = 55) with intermediate morphological characteristics. Although the hybrid has been present in the lake since at least 1918, I. maritima and I. occidentalis were previously unknown in Alberta. The presence of these aquatics hundreds of kilometres from their next known populations in central British Columbia is suspected to reflect the floristic and faunal affinity of the Pyramid Lake area to biotic regions in the interior of British Columbia. Morphological, scanning electron microscopy, and cytological data are provided to support our conclusion that the Alaskan type material of I. × truncata is synonymous with the Pyramid Lake pentaploid. Investigations of similar taxa in western North America detected several I. occidentalis populations in Alaska where it was previously unknown. This represents the first report of a pentaploid Isoetes hybrid in North America and the first western North American hybrid to be described in detail. Key words: Isoetes, Isoetes maritima, Isoetes occidentalis, Isoetes × truncata, hybrid, Alberta, Alaska.

Two wolves, Canis lupus, killed by a Moose, Alces alces, in Jasper National Park, Alberta

Two wolves, Canis lupus, killed by a Moose, Alces alces, in Jasper National Park, Alberta

Late quaternary vegetation history of Wilcox Pass, Jasper National Park, Alberta

Five pollen zones are recognized in a radiocarbon and tephra dated core from an alpine site at an elevation of ca. 2355 masl in Wilcox Pass, Jasper National Park, and record Late Quaternary vegetation history. The two lower zones underlie material dated at 9600 ± 305 yr B.P. (GX-8785) and record early postglacial vegetation. The basal zone, WP1, containing an Artemisia dominated assemblage, represents tundra vegetation after deglaciation. In Zone WP2, arboreal pollen, mainly diploxylon pine, becomes dominant, and represents a lodgepole pine forest. The pollen assemblage of Zone WP3, which initially contains large amounts of haploxylon pine as well as Picea and Abies pollen, shows a transition from a forest with large amounts of whitebarkpine to vegetation resembling present-day subalpine forest. During this phase, temperatures were probably warmer than present. Zone WP4, beginning after the influx of Mazama tephra (6800 yr B.P.) to the site, records an expansion of the subalpine forest to higher elevations with a warmer climate. In Zone WP5, beginning about 2800 yr B.P., values of the main arboreal components fluctuate, indicating cooler temperatures and less favourable environmental conditions, probably associated with Neoglacial ice advances. The environmental trends observed from this record accord with those from other vegetation records in the Canadian Rockies.

Environmental correlates of species distributions in a saxicolous lichen community

Abstract. The importance of abiotic environmental factors in determining species distributions in a saxicolous lichen community at Jonas Rockslide, Jasper National Park, Alberta is assessed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis. This technique allows ordination of species on axes determined by measured environmental variables. The suitability of this technique for handling data which may not be normally distributed is confirmed by comparison with the results obtained using a non‐parametric correlation coefficient. The variables found to be most highly correlated with species distributions are altitude on the rockslide and inclination from horizontal of the rockface (slope). These variables are thought to determine temperature and water availability at the rock surface. Using the first two ordination axes, species can be divided into groups, based on shared responses to the measured environmental variables.

Birding, Jasper National Park, by Kevin Van Tighem [Review

Birding, Jasper National Park, by Kevin Van Tighem [Review

Facies anatomy of an Upper Cambrian grand cycle: Bison Creek and Mistaya formations, southern Alberta

The Bison Creek and Mistaya formations form the youngest Cambrian sedimentary grand cycle exposed in Banff and Jasper national parks. The shaly half-cycle of the Bison Creek Formation records the displacement of a carbonate bank during a major rise in sea level that can be identified in other parts of North America. Lithofacies of the Bison Creek Formation fall into three recurrent associations that represent sedimentation in shallow, subtidal, storm-dominated shelf settings. The Mistaya Formation records the reestablishment of carbonate bank deposition, probably due to a decrease in the rate of sea-level rise, and includes two facies associations that represent a mosaic of shallow subtidal to supratidal environments. The grand cycle was terminated by a sea-level rise, possibly eustatic in nature, that drowned the carbonate platform. The overlying shales, mudstones, packstones, grainstones, and rudstones of the Survey Peak Formation mark a return to subtidal, storm-dominated shelf conditions.

Niche Relationships Amongst Rhizocarpon Species at Jonas Rockslide, Alberta, Canada

AbstractTwelve species of Rhizocarpon coexist with 94 other species of saxicolous lichens at Jonas Rockslide, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The position of each Rhizocarpon species in the community is assessed with respect to environmental factors and biotic relationships. Each species shows distinct correlations with measured environmental factors and a different set of interactions with other species. Rhizocarpon bolanderi and R. superficiale stand out as opposites with regard to their biotic associations and environmental correlations. Competition between pairs of Rhizocarpon species is predicted to vary in intensity, as some species pairs never occupy the same microenvironment, whereas others frequently occur in similar locations. Using thallus diameter as a measure, there is evidence of high recruitment rates into populations of the sub-genus Phaeothallus and lower recruitment rates in the sub-genus Rhizocarpon.

Sedimentology and diagenesis of Upper Mississippian to Lower Permian strata, Talbot Lake area, Jasper National Park, Alberta

In the Talbot Lake area, the Upper Mississippian carbonate sequence comprises, in ascending order, the Turner Valley and Mount Head formations. The Mount Head Formation is informally divided into lower and upper members. The rocks of the Upper Mississippian originated by sedimentation associated with successive shallowing-upward sequences. On the basis of the fossils, lithologies, textural characters, and sedimentary structures, the Turner Valley Formation apparently resulted from sedimentation on open marine shoals and in a lagoon, the lower member of the Mount Head Formation from sedimentation in shallow subtidal to lower supratidal environments, and the upper member of the Mount Head Formation from deposition in upper intertidal to supratidal environments.The paraconformity between the lower and upper members of the Mount Head Formation records a short erosional break. A disconformity between the Upper Mississippian carbonates and the Upper Permian Ishbel Group displays paleotopographic relief and paleokarstic features developed during exposure in post-Mississippian times. The disconformity is overlain by a condensed sequence of Pennsylvanian to Permian strata.Major diagenetic modifications of the Upper Mississippian strata include dolomitization, silica replacement and cementation, carbonate cementation, and dedolomitization. A diagenetic realm comprising sea water, fresh water, and hypersaline brine was probably responsible for some of the complex diagenesis in these rocks.

The Saxicolous Lichen Flora of Jonas Rockslide, Jasper National Park, Alberta

One hundred six species of saxicolous lichens are reported from a quartzite sandstone rockslide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains at Jasper National Park, Alberta. A number of rare species are present, including Phylliscum demangeonii, Rhizocarpon alpicola, and Arctoparmelia subcentrifuga. The site is considered as a number of microhabitats and most lichens are found to be microhabitat specific. It is concluded that the lichen flora of the Canadian Rockies is highly understudied. The lichens discussed here were collected during a study of spatial patterning of saxicolous lichens at Jonas Rockslide, Jasper National Park, Alberta. Al- though the initial interest of the study was in quan- titative aspects of the ecology of the rockslide com- munity, it soon became clear that the lichen flora

Population fluctuations and spatial relationships among Wolves, Canis lupus, Coyotes, Canis latrans, and Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, in Jasper National Park, Alberta

Population fluctuations and spatial relationships among Wolves, Canis lupus, Coyotes, Canis latrans, and Red Foxes, Vulpes vulpes, in Jasper National Park, Alberta

Relationship between Coyote Group Size and Diet in Southeastern Colorado

We investigated the diet of coyotes (Canis latrans) on the Pifion Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) in southeastern Colorado from February 1983 to June 1986. Based on regression analysis, 71% of the variation in the volume of large prey (e.g., adult ungulates) in coyote scats could be explained by coyote group size; 77% of this variation could be explained by coyote group size and snow depth. Snow depth alone explained 28% of the variation in the volume of large prey in the scats. Coyote group size explained 19% of the variation in the volume of medium size prey (e.g., lagomorphs and ungulate fawns) and 38% of the variation in the volume of small prey (e.g., rodents). Coyote groups were largest in winter and smallest in summer. Most juveniles dispersed before the largest group sizes were observed. Group foraging and snow depth may influence prey selection by coyotes in southeastern Colorado. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 52(4):647-653 Diets of coyotes have been examined (Fichter et al. 1955, Gipson 1974, MacCracken 1981) but few studies have examined the relationship of prey selection and coyote social organization. In Jasper National Park, Alberta, during summer, when rodents were the major food, mean coyote group size was 1.4 (Bowen 1978, 1981). In winter, when ungulates were the major food, group size averaged 2.0. Mean group size in Wyoming was 1.3 coyotes in summer, when rodents were the major resource consumed; in winter, when ungulate carrion dominated the diet, coyote group size was 1.8 (Bekoff and Wells 1980). Bekoff and Wells (1980) noted that during 3 successive winters in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, when no ungulate carrion was available, coyotes preyed on small mammals throughout the year. Mean group size for coyotes was 1.1 in summer and winter. Bowen (1978, 1981) and Bekoff and Wells (1980) concluded that when coyotes were feeding on large prey, group sizes were correspondingly larger, which increased foraging efficiency. They further observed that delayed dispersal of pups resulted in the formation of larger packs; however, seasonal variation in the diet still accounted for much of the variation in the number of pack members observed together. Messier and Barrette (1982) found no relationship between prey size and coyote group size in Quebec; they concluded that larger coyote groups could be explained by delayed dispersal of juveniles. The obj ctive of our study was to document the diet of coyotes in southeastern Colorado and examine the relationship between prey size, pack sociality, time of juvenile dispersal, and group

The genus Antennaria (Asteraceae: Inuleae) in North America: multivariate analysis of variation patterns in Antennaria rosea sensu lato

Patterns of morphological variation were examined among pistillate and staminate plants of Antennaria rosea Greene s.l. and northwestern microspecies in section Dioicae which are often placed in synonomy with A. rosea. The variation observed among pistillate plants was not correlated with geography, but in certain regions such as southern Yukon, Banff and Jasper national parks, the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta, and in the southern range limits the likelihood of finding atypical specimens increases. The northwestern taxa A. breitungii, A. elegans, A. incarnata, A. laingii, A. leuchippi, A. oxyphylla, and atypical forms of A. subviscosa, although similar in many characteristics to A. rosea, do represent distinct morphological entities. The fact that these taxa maintain their distinctive morphologies under controlled transplant studies suggests that their species rank may be maintained. Staminate plants in the northeastern portion of their distribution were consistently larger than those found elsewhere. The importance of vegetative and vegetative–reproductive characters in the discriminant function suggests that the morphological differences are in response to environmental factors.

Athabasca Glacier and the northern flanks of Mount Athabasca, Jasper National Park, Canada.

Athabasca Glacier and the northern flanks of Mount Athabasca, Jasper National Park, Canada.

A mid-holocene vegetational and climatic record from the subalpine zone of the Maligne Valley, Jasper National Park, Alberta (Canada)

Pollen, macrofossils and isotopic data ( 13C, 18O) from gastropod shells are used to reconstruct Holocene vegetational and climatic changes for a lower subalpine forest site (elevation 1690 m) in the Maligne Valley, Jasper National Park, Alberta. Subalpine forest has characterized the site since the inception of the sedimentary record in this small pond ca. 8500 yr B.P. In contrast to the vertical timberline fluctuations recorded at nearby sites above present tree-line, vegetational changes at the site appear to have been mainly horizontal, i.e. forest cover and tree density expanded or contracted laterally in response to climatic warming or cooling. At Maligne Lake forest cover was probably at its maximum extent about 7500 yr B.P., when Pseudotsuga and other montane elements had migrated to this elevation but did not displace the existing vegetation. The modern mosaic of discontinuous subalpine forest and extensive dwarf birch-dominated damp meadows and fens emerged only during the last 1300 years. A warmer Neoglacial episode, dated ca. 2600–3400 yr B.P., is indicated by increases in the temperature-limited gastropod, Lymnaea palustris, and by progressive enrichment in the 18O and 13C contents of their shells. Summer temperatures during this period, which has been tentatively identified elsewhere in the Canadian Rockies, may have risen by as much as 1.8°C.