The arthropods of
Canadian grasslands are surprisingly inadequately known. The grasslands project aims to
catalyse and coordinate relevant work in these areas, for example by identifying sites
that represent “undisturbed” grassland habitats, characterizing the faunas of
different kinds of habitats (in selected arthropod groups), and also comparing them with
the faunas of modified habitats.
The grasslands project therefore is a large and important project
of the Biological Survey (see Appendix for a brief history), and recently its scope and
organization were revisited, now that the major efforts on the Yukon fauna have come to
fruition with publication of the book Insects of the Yukon.
At the Survey committee meeting in April 1999, some basic
requirements for planning the project were discussed. Possible outputs were considered
that would allow the scientific community interested in grasslands across the country to
push forward the knowledge of these habitats. The tasks of structuring these plans were
passed to an enlarged subcommittee, which met after the meeting of the full Committee.
A range of possible products was evaluated to decide what might
be the best mix in terms of timing and intensity, including major scientific publications,
smaller products such as workshops or symposia, and more limited outputs such as
individual species accounts or a newsletter, as well as such things as a scientific
prospectus for the project. Some ideas for funding possibilities were also explored.
It was decided to foster the following
potential outputs (not necessarily in chronological order):
A major volume with a focus on diversity, species inventory and zoogeography, including
multiple sites and habitats.
A major volume with a focus on ecological and habitat associations.
A baseline framework for grasslands, providing a sound scheme by which to classify or
identify the different types of grasslands. This idea will be pursued by Dr. Joe
Shorthouse, for example by contacting relevant botanical experts.
Informal conference at the 2000 joint meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada,
the Entomological Society of America and la Société d'entomologie du Québec, which will
allow ideas to be exposed and developed and the project made known more widely. Dr. Terry
Wheeler will pursue this program element and begin planning.
A symposium at the 2001 ESC meeting, providing a published initial scientific synthesis
on various subjects, also as a basis for further development. Dr. Terry Wheeler and the
subcommittee will plan for this symposium.
An annual grasslands newsletter, to disseminate information, encourage cooperation and
develop ideas. If multiple future issues can be guaranteed, this newsletter will be edited
by Dr. Hugh Danks and launched within a year.
A prospectus for the project, which will give a scientific outline of the rationales and
plans for the project and underpin its development. Dr. Joe Shorthouse and Dr. Terry
Wheeler agreed to prepare an initial draft.
A list of current research projects, which will help in seeking contributors and
planning for the informal conference and the symposium, as well as encouraging
cooperation. Dr. Kevin Floate agreed to prepare this list (expected to be published in the
grasslands newsletter in due course).
Other items to be developed when more of the basic
planning and work has been done would include development of information for the
Survey’s web page, and proposals for funding.
Composition of the subcommittee
Members of the subcommittee are as follows:
V.M. Behan-Pelletier; H.V. Danks; K.D. Floate (co-chair); D.J. Larson; R.E. Roughley;
G.G.E. Scudder; I.M. Smith; J.D. Shorthouse; T.A. Wheeler (co-chair); D. Wrubleski
Appendix: A brief history of the project
The grasslands project of the Biological Survey was initiated for the “Prairies”
in 1979. Dr. Gordon Pritchard prepared a list of undisturbed prairie sites (1980).
Interest was generated by a special interest group at the Banff Annual Meeting of the
Entomological Society of Canada (1981), organized by Dr. John Spence and Dr. Pritchard.
Subsequent efforts by Dr. Spence (with Mr. Rob Cannings) led to the production of a
Grasslands Newsletter, which commented on current field activities. Some preliminary work
was carried out to prepare a format in which to characterize selected grassland sites, and
the work of characterization was started by Mr. Cannings among others. Later Dr. Geoff
Scudder, who was carrying out studies in grasslands especially in B.C., took over
leadership of the project. Initially, interest was kept alive by occasional issues of the
Grasslands Newsletter, pending completion of the Yukon Project, which involved many of the
potential contributors to a grasslands project. When the Yukon project experienced delays,
this also slowed the Grasslands work. Subsequently, Dr. Bert Finnamore initiated several
projects on grasslands, studying such sites as CFB Suffield (1994-) and Grasslands
National Park (1996-). Dr. Scudder continued with his long-standing studies of grassland
arthropods in British Columbia, and Dr. Roughley studied sites in Manitoba (1994-). The
sorting, distribution, and identification of material from these places is in progress. In
1995, Dr. Finnamore became chair of the Survey’s Grasslands subcommittee. At about
the same time, he prepared a brief published by the Survey about the use of grassland
arthropods in ecosystem management. He pursued funding for his projects on grasslands in
Canada and elsewhere. He also cooperated with the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment
Network (EMAN), helping to develop detailed sampling protocols and carrying out work
related to the prairie ecozone. Some limited Scientific Committee discussions of the
grasslands project were held during this period, and in 1999 a major effort was made to
move the project forward more broadly, as outlined above.
Selected publications from the Survey’s grasslands project and on
Canadian grasslands arthropods
1980. D.M. Lehmkuhl. Temporal and Spatial Changes in the Canadian Insect Fauna -
Patterns and explanation: the prairies. pp. 1145-1159 in J.A. Downes (Ed.),
Temporal and Spatial Changes in the Canadian Insect Fauna. Can. Ent. 112 (11).
1983. Grasslands Newsletter no. 1 (Ed., J.R. Spence)
1983. Project update: BSC Newsletter 2(2): 41.
1984. Grasslands Newsletter no. 2 (Ed., J.R. Spence)
1985. Grasslands Newsletter no. 3 (Ed., J.R. Spence)
1987. Grasslands Newsletter no. 4 (Ed., G.G.E. Scudder)
1987. Project update: BSC Newsletter 6(1): 7-8.
1990. Grasslands Newsletter no. 5 (Ed., G.G.E. Scudder)
1993. G.G.E. Scudder. Geographic distribution and biogeography of representative species
of xeric grassland-adapted Nearctic Lygaeidae in western North America (Heteroptera:
Ligaeidae). pp. 75-113 in G.E. Ball and H.V. Danks (Eds.), Systematics
and Entomology: Diversity, Distribution, Adaptation and Application. Mem. ent. Soc.
Can. 165.
1996. A.T. Finnamore. The advantages of using arthropods in ecosystem management. A brief
from the Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods). 10 pp.
1996. Contributions in A.T. Finnamore (Ed.). the SAGE project. A workshop report on
terrestrial arthropod sampling protocols for graminoid
ecosystems. http://www.cciw.ca/eman-temp/reports/publications/sage/intro.html
1997. Contributions (especially on Heteroptera and Cicadellidae) in H.V. Danks and J.A.
Downes (Eds.), Insects of the Yukon. Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods),
Ottawa. (Biological Survey Monograph Series No. 2, 1034 pp.)
1998. Project update; Results from grasslands: aculeate wasps from CFB Suffield. BSC
Newsletter 17 (2): 44-57.
1999. A.T. Finnamore and D. Buckle. Arthropod component report: The stinging wasps
(Hymeoptera:Chrsidoidea, Vespoidea, Apoidea) and spiders (Araneae). Canadian Wildlife
Service. 197 pp.
The arthropods of
Canadian grasslands are surprisingly inadequately known. The grasslands project aims to
catalyse and coordinate relevant work in these areas, for example by identifying sites
that represent “undisturbed” grassland habitats, characterizing the faunas of
different kinds of habitats (in selected arthropod groups), and also comparing them with
the faunas of modified habitats. 
Other items to be developed when more of the basic
planning and work has been done would include development of information for the
Survey’s web page, and proposals for funding.