C. Keating

Y. Yamada

B.C. is a really big province. Because it's so big we divide it up into different parts. Up in the North of B. C. there's an area called the Peace Region. This region makes a triangle with Alberta and The Yukon on two sides.

In this region there are two main types of wilderness, the different types of wilderness are called Biogeoclimatic zones.

Over here!

The first Biogeoclimatic zone is called the Spruce Willow Birch Zone. The most common plants here make up the name of this zone, that's how all zones get their name.

If you find yourself in this zone it's probably because you're going skiing or doing other snow activities. It's almost always freezing cold up here but it makes a really great place to live if you're an animal that can protect yourself from the cold.

The other Biogeoclimatic zone we have here is called the Boreal Black and White Spruce Zone. This place is also really cold and you can even say that this is what you would imagine when you think about Canada's wintry wilderness.

This place also has a lot of wildlife living in this zone.

Who lives here?

Tertiary Consumers: Predators

Secondary Consumers: Predators

Tertiary consumers, are predators, therefore are carnivores, and will feed on secondary consumers, as well as primary consumers.

Secondary consumers are omnivores, and will feed on producers, which are plants, as well as primary consumers, which are herbivores.

Cougars (Puma concolor)

- Height: 60~90cm

- Weight: 30~100 kg

- Expected lifespan: 8~13 years

- Carnivorous

Wolverine (Gulo gulo)

- Height: 65~107 cm

- Weight: 9~25 kg

- Expected lifespan: 5~13 years

- Omnivores

Gulo gulo luscus:

Blue-listed in BC

(Special Concern

(formerly Vulnerable))

Wolf (Canis lupis)

- Height: 60~90 cm

- Weight: 18~70 kg

- Expected lifespan: 8~16 years

- Carnivorous

Coyote (Canis latrans)

- Height: 58~66 cm

- Weight: 7~21 kg

- Expected lifespan: 6~8 years

- Omnivorous

Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos)

- Height: 1.5~2.5 m

- Weight: 100~270 kg

- Expected lifespan: 20~30 years

- Hibernates for 7 months

- Omnivorous

Blue-listed in BC

(Special Concern

(formerly Vulnerable))

Black Bears (Ursus americanus)

- Height: 60~90 cm

- Weight: 80~300 kg

- Expected lifespan: 10~30 years

- Hibernates for 6 to 7 months

- Omnivorous

Primary Consumers: Ungulates

The primary consumer, such as ungulates, are herbivores and depends on the producers, which are the plants.

Stone's sheep (Ovis dalli stonei)

- Height: around 1.5m

- Weight: 46~110kg

- Expected lifespan: about 14 years

- Herbivorous

Blue-listed in BC

(Special Concern

(formerly Vulnerable))

Elk (Cervus elaphus)

- Height: around 1.5m

- Weight: around 325kg

- Expected lifespan: 15~20 years

- herbivorous

Producers: Plants

Plants provide the energy for the whole ecological pyramid, since if there were no plants, then the primary consumers as well as the secondary consumers would die out, and without them the tertiary consumers would die out as well.

Fuzzy-spiked Wildrye (Elymus innovatus)

- can be found in open forests,

disturbed sites, and

range lands.

- it provides important

winter forage for

ungulates

(ex: mountain sheep)

in the northern

region.

Meadow-grasses (Poa compressa)

- it is a introduced species from Eurasia,

however is now naturalized through

north America

- used for Grazing, turf, reclamation, and

erosion control

Hard Fescue (Festuca ovina)

- introduced from europe

- Commonly used for erosion control,

roadsides and skid trails stabilization,

and weed and invasive plant suppression.