Grizzly bears (ursus arctos) as conservation umbrellas and local engineers of biodiversity

食肉动物通过对猎物的自上而下的调节，对其他营养级产生级联（间接）影响，维持生态系统功能和生物多样性。然而，一些食肉动物，包括灰熊和獾，也通过生物扰动（生物对土壤的扰动）直接改变生态系统功能和生物多样性。其中许多物种的典型特征是对大面积的需求和对人类干扰的敏感性，使它们成为生物多样性保护的候选保护伞。在加拿大落基山脉，最近的养护和管理重点是保护大型食肉动物。保护伞种如何影响高山环境中的生态系统功能和生物多样性，特别是在气候变化的情况下，仍然不清楚。在接下来的五年里，我的研究将集中在：（1）确定生物扰动对维持高山草甸生态系统功能和生物多样性的重要性;（2）测试使用食肉动物作为生物多样性保护伞的有效性;和（3）调查使用基于占有率的生命率监测物种恢复和记录影响其分布的关键因素。我将使用灰熊（熊）和加拿大落基山脉作为模型物种和系统来解决这些问题。将培训一名博士，两名硕士和六名暑期研究生。这项研究将有助于我们了解物种-生物多样性的相互作用，使用伞物种作为保护捷径的影响，以及更广泛地监测加拿大濒危物种的方法。

Carnivores maintain ecosystem function and biodiversity through top-down regulation of prey with cascading (indirect) effects to other trophic levels. Some carnivores, however, including grizzly bears and badgers, also directly alter ecosystem function and biodiversity through biopedturbation (disturbance of soil by an organism). Many of these species are typified by having large-area requirements and sensitivities to human disturbance making them candidate umbrellas for biodiversity conservation. In the Canadian Rockies, recent conservation and management emphasis has been placed on protecting large carnivores. How protection of umbrella species influences ecosystem function and biodiversity in alpine environments, especially in the presence of climate change, remains unclear. Over the next five years, my research will focus on: (1) Determining the importance of biopedturbation on maintaining ecosystem function and biodiversity in alpine meadows; (2) Test the effectiveness of using carnivores as an umbrella for biodiversity conservation; and (3) Investigate the use of occupancy-based vital rates for monitoring species recovery and documenting critical factors affecting their distribution. I will use grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and the Canadian Rocky Mountains as a model species and system to address these questions. One PhD, two MSc, and six summer research students will be trained. This research will contribute to our understanding of species-biodiversity interactions, implications of using umbrella species as conservation shortcuts, and more broadly to methods for monitoring species-at-risk in Canada.