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General information and editorial notes News and Notes Brief on the role of voucher specimens published Newsletter distribution goes electronic Summary of the meeting of the Scientific Committee, April 2003 Arthropod Species Specialist Subcommittee for COSEWIC Guide to the identification of the spiders of Quebec published Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership (FBIP) established Members of the Scientific Committee 2003 Lessons from threatened cuts at the University of Nebraska Museums Project Update: Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands Opinion Page: DNA Barcoding: Deus ex Machina Review of Scientific Priorities 2003 Biological Survey of Canada: Taking Stock after 25 Years Arctic Corner Predaceous water beetles from Keewatin and Mackenzie Selected Publications associated with the Biological Survey Requests for Material or Information Invited
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Summary of the meeting of the
Scientific Committee, April 2003
The Scientific Committee met in Ottawa on April 24–25, 2003. Much of the meeting was devoted to a review of the Survey and of its scientific projects, the results of which are summarized elsewhere in this newsletter [see Review of Scientific Priorities 2003 and Biological Survey of Canada (Terrestrial Arthropods): Taking stock after 25 years]. Other work at the meeting was as follows. Scientific Projects 1. Grasslands Dr. Sperling outlined the planned Biological Survey grasslands field trip July 18–21. The local contact person is Ms. Margot Hervieux, a biologist and president of the Peace Parkland Naturalist Society, who is keen to draw attention to the disappearing Peace River grasslands. The site will be Dunvegan Provincial Park and Historic Site, at the heart of the Peace River region. The area is a significant focus for the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre and the Alberta Conservation Association, which has funded surveys along the Peace River for a swallowtail butterfly and a number of plants. 2. Family keys 3. Seasonal adaptations Dr. Danks presented a paper in January on "Seasonal adaptations of Arctic Insects" at a symposium on Biology of the Arctic, at the meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. The paper was also submitted for the Society’s journal Integrative and Comparative Biology. The symposium was interesting, but he was the only entomologist participating. Dr. Danks reported that The Encyclopedia of the Arctic (in which he has short entries on Insects, Insect larvae, and Mosquitoes) had been delayed but is now moving forward again with Routledge as the new publisher. Bankruptcy or takeover of publishers is a common theme these days that impacts on authors. Dr. Danks is planning to attend the international symposium on animal and plant cold hardiness in the Czech Republic in August, and he is preparing a paper about the role of insect cocoons in cold conditions. He has also agreed to prepare a paper about seasonal adaptations for a symposium at the 2003 ESC/ ESBC meeting. Dr. Danks reported that he had been considering whether it is feasible to prepare a definitive book treating insect seasonal adaptations. Because he had addressed many elements of that subject in earlier books and papers on dormancy, diapause, life-cycle pathways, life-cycle duration, cold hardiness, dehydration resistance, habitat conditions and relationships, including some regional – especially arctic – linkages, a comprehensive synthetic treatment should be feasible. However, he had decided against doing so. The literature is now so vast that it is impossible to strike the right balance: a more or less exhaustive monograph is impracticable and publishers would not accept the lengthy book required to cover such a wide scope; but a streamlined treatment would amount to rather unsatisfying "hill-topping". Another limiting factor is the increase in demands on his time, including increased "corporate" requirements within the Museum. 4. Insects of the Arctic (formerly ‘Insects
of Keewatin and Mackenzie’ and ‘Arctic invertebrate biology’) 5. Forest projects Other scientific priorities 1. Invasions
and reductions Two aspects of interest to the Survey were identified – an interest in coccinellids, and a synthesis for which the Survey would expect to develop a symposium or publication eventually. The coccinellid sub-group will be chaired by Dr. McCorquodale. This coccinellid project might be amenable to cooperation with the CMN, to help broaden linkages with a wider audience. A number of other threads relating to invasions and reductions would be discussed further at the fall meeting, with the goal of convening a symposium, with proceedings, in 3 or 4 years time. The symposium would address the various aspects of invasive species in a cohesive and scientifically valid way. 2. Endangered species Dr. Scudder expressed concern about the potentially serious consequences of listing endangered species. He reminded the Committee that when COSEWIC was considering broadening its mandate to include invertebrates this Committee recommended that they consider only Lepidoptera, dragonflies and freshwater molluscs because in these groups populations can be estimated and the species can be identified in the field. However, if attention is drawn to other groups it may impede collecting. For example, a need to obtain permits will preclude scientists from doing research because the applicants have to identify what and how many species they plan to collect, which cannot be done for most insect groups. Dr. Scudder thought that there should still be a concern about learning where endangered insects are, but rather than adding groups to the COSEWIC interest he would use butterflies, dragonflies and freshwater molluscs as the surrogates for invertebrate groups. A status report for every species is not practical, and "listing" species would stop research and require recovery plans. Not enough is known about most groups to allow this and to gather enough information would be very costly. Dr. Marshall, who is involved with COSSARO, said that there is some sensitivity on that committee to the issues raised by Dr. Scudder. A suggestion that funding is needed to do both taxon and region reviews was well received. He is not as concerned as Dr Scudder about the prospect that many species will be put through the regulatory process because to get something listed and devise a recovery plan is very expensive and inefficient. For example, the Ontario committee has recognized that there is a need for a different approach for arthropods, which in effect would involve family-level rather than species-level status reports. 3. Survey web site With respect to usage of the site, Dr. Danks explained that the site meter had logged about 8400 hits over the first couple of years but recently as a test a counter was added to every page. This system showed that the existing counter was logging only visitors to the home page, and so missed many people coming in (e.g. via search engines) to other pages. Using counters on every page for a few months revealed that annual visits may number closer to 18,000 than to 4,000, showing that the site is well used, even if many visitors are not specific Biological Survey clients. 4. Voucher specimen brief 5. Monitoring of continuing priorities
for work on Canadian faunas 6. Other priorities Liaison and exchange of information 1. Canadian
Museum of Nature The CMN has undertaken the development of a strategic vision for where it wants to be in 2008. The planning process started last fall and the operational plans were put into effect beginning April 1, 2003. The major focus has been to build a strategic plan around issues that are of relevance to Canadians. As a result of public surveys the issue of environmental change came to the forefront, leading to three main points of focus for all of the Museum’s activities – 1. Factors that influence environmental change, 2. The place in the environment and role of the dominant species (humans) and its positive or negative influences on the environment, 3. Preserving a record of baseline data and scientific knowledge. There is also a strong focus on increased international outreach and demonstrating the relevance of Museum’s work by working closely with other organizations such as the BSC, the university community and other museums. An Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada has been formed to work with 11 other museums with significant natural history collections to define some broad common goals and to unite in addressing those goals collectively. One fundamental goal will be to enhance the capacity to share and exchange information and knowledge. To that end some recent collections activities have contributed to similar projects on a modest scale. For example, the Birds of Canada database has been supplemented with all bird-nest records for the province of Quebec. In response to questions, Mr. Baird explained that the group intends to open up participation to other Museums and Conservation Data Centres. With other federal departments a pre-proposal was put together for the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to bring a range of data together around the issue of West Nile virus. Direction was received to redevelop the proposal and submit it as a demonstration project with GBIF. The project hopes to show what is possible with distributed databases and mapping and modelling. Mr. Baird announced that recently the Assistant Deputy Ministers representing science departments in the federal government have confirmed a $600,000 start-up budget for a federal biodiversity information partnership (FBIP). The longer range objective is to develop a Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF), created out of the partnership. The Conservation Data Centres are represented in this initiative. Some of the objectives would be the creation of common standards and the elimination of duplication of efforts. The partnership also wants to influence policy to ensure that digitisation of collections and specimen data is a priority for funding within government programs. Funding has been guaranteed for one year for a secretariat. Members of the Committee commented that the FBIP initiative does not involve the whole community that was originally involved in initial meetings about the concept, and the community as a whole is not being kept informed as to what is happening. 2. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada A positive development is that Agriculture has just hired three new taxonomists – Dr. Pat Bouchard (weevil systematics), Dr. Andy Bennett (Ichneumonidae), and Dr. Jeff Skevington (pest Diptera). These hirings are the first at the CNC in 13 years. However, these additions will not be sufficient to maintain current professional staffing levels in the long term, because in the next five years about five retirements are scheduled. For example, Dr. Don Bright is scheduled to retire this year. Dr. Floate added that all future research will be directed by the Agricultural Policy Framework. The federal government is trying to implement this framework with the provincial governments. It involves best practices, farm plans, and other elements. Anyone not in AAFC who is looking at the possibility of collaborative projects should be tailoring their proposals with that framework in mind. 3. Entomological Society of Canada The fee structure for membership is changing slightly because there is a small decline in the number of subscribers. As of 2002 the ESC holds copyright for all material it publishes. The ESC’s position on endangered species has been posted on its web site. The Society is putting more emphasis on the use of the web, and the webmaster is now an official member of the Governing Board of the ESC. The Society recognizes the importance of getting information out to the public in an accessible way. The Bulletin is now posted on the web site. The Society will continue to post employment positions available there. Dr. Smith announced the recipients of the Society’s 2003 awards. Finally, Dr. Smith commented that now that she is President of the ESC she appreciates the Society’s role in supporting the Biological Survey. 4. Canadian Forest Service Dr. Huber reminded the Committee that CFS is part of the FBIP and is contributing to its support. A contribution has already been paid for membership to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). A contribution for a 1-year pilot project to develop an on-line database for native, alien and invasive forest insects, beginning with Scolytidae, is planned. Dr. Tony Hopkin explained that he is in charge of the Forest and Insect Disease Survey (FIDS) at Sault Ste. Marie. The organization has 12 field technicians. Some routine surveys are still carried out in Ontario but the main activities are related to major forest disturbances like spruce budworm, jack pine budworm and more recently to invasive species. There is some interest to make the Forestry Centre’s collections available through online access. As in other organizations there is insufficient taxonomic expertise for both insects and diseases, and there is concern about the constant reduction in the status of taxonomy. He pointed out that FIDS is constantly dealing with new species and often struggles to find people even to make preliminary identifications. Members of the Committee wondered if there is any attempt to update the FIDS database, which contains many identification errors, for example in the Hemiptera and certain beetles. Dr. Hopkin explained that the database is being updated in order to bring the synonymy up to date. Whether re-identification is made depends on the particular database. Specimens are not always linked to the FIDS database which includes chiefly data from Ontario and B.C. The plan is not to revise the entire database, but rather to work on it group by group where people have an interest or as requested. Members noted that the situation with validation of identification is an example of a bigger problem. The problems with the data are science problems, not management problems. If the data in the collections are not accurate and being checked, then web sites of organizations such as CBIF to display the data will not be useful. The lack of attempts to address the real scientific problems is a source of frustration. 5. Association des entomologistes
amateurs du Québec 6. Parasitology module, Canadian
Society of Zoologists 7. National Parks Members of the Committee commented about Parks policies. One member had just returned from 5 months in Costa Rica and was struck by the difference in official attitude in the national parks in Costa Rica. For example, as a scientist there he was given a permit allowing access to all parks and protected areas and was encouraged to collect anywhere. He contrasted the level of bureaucracy in Canada as an impediment to legitimate scientific research that is frustrating and counter productive. Other members thought that efforts with individual Parks are the best way to proceed. It was also pointed out that there are relatively little data from national parks, primarily because of restrictions on collecting and study. Other items 1. Regional
developments In British Columbia, Dr. Wayne Maddison will begin work at the University of British Columbia on July 1. "Hot spots" of biodiversity do not coincide with any of the protected areas in B.C. Dr. Richard Ring is nearing retirement the University of Victoria. It does not seem that he will be replaced. A symposium in honour of Dr. Ring entitled "Adaptations and constraints" will be held at the joint ESC/ESBC meeting in November 2003. Entomology projects at the University were reviewed. Some of them exploit material collected some time ago, leading to publications that would not have been possible unless information in Survey briefs about collecting and preparing specimens properly had been followed. The situation with the pest management program at Simon Fraser University remains in limbo. In the Prairies, Dr. Danica Baines is a new entomologist at the Lethbridge Research Centre. A field ecology course has been developed to foster greater communication between the Blood tribe and the University of Lethbridge. The Blood Tribe preserve contains much pristine grassland. Entomological work at the University of Alberta continues to thrive. Dr. Maya Evenden is a new entomologist studying pheromones of Lepidoptera. A CFI proposal is being developed to database natural science collections across Alberta. The Annual Meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society in Olds, AB, during July includes a survey trip into the Caribou Mountains, an extreme northern boreal region. The Virtual Museum of the Strickland Museum at the University of Alberta is rapidly expanding. The systematics of curculionids and braconids is a focus of work at the Canadian Forest Service. An annotated checklist of the Lepidoptera of Alberta has been produced as well as a checklist of the Microlepidoptera of North America. There is much work on biodiversity in forested ecosystems to assess arthropod responses to anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Collections databasing is continuing. In Ontario, the Renaissance ROM project to renovate the Royal Ontario Museum continues; the current galleries will start to be taken down in May. The ROM is seeking a new Vice-President of Collections and Research. The ROM’s initial application for CBIF funding was accepted in the first stage and is now being revised. Studies by students at the ROM / University of Toronto were outlined. The Blackflies of North America book is scheduled to be published in 2003. At the University of Guelph survey activities are focused on extreme southern Ontario, including a study of Ojibway prairie with over 100 new Canadian or provincial records. Activities will also be focused on Rondeau Provincial Park, Point Pelee, Pelee Island and Middle Island and the Bruce Peninsula. A site for the Ontario Biodiversity Institute there has been identified. Projects at Laurentian University include studies of water beetles and galls. In Quebec, many studies are underway at McGill University, including research on saproxylic arthropods, saprophagous beetles, and systematics of muscids, dolichopodids, and sarcophagids. The applied zoology department at McGill has undergone a program revision and now has an entomology option. The Université de Montréal attempted for a second consecutive year to fill a position in systematic entomology; a position will again be advertised in the fall. In Newfoundland and the Maritimes, an examination of beetles in the University of Prince Edward Island collection revealed 239 species, 48 newly recorded from PEI. A list of the beetles of Nova Scotia is being developed. Work is underway to database dragonflies in the PEI collections and New Brunswick Museum. Other entomological work is in progress at UPEI and at the University College of Cape Breton. The ESC annual meeting will be held in Charlottetown in 2004 in mid-October. A major collection of forest insects from Acadia University has been saved by the Nova Scotia Museum. For the Arctic, information was provided about the Northern Regional Impacts and Sensitivity to Climate Change (Northern RiSCC) project, a multi-agency network incorporating university and government researchers to elucidate the linkages among ecosystems in the face of global warming. N-RiSCC is proposing a Canadian research expedition on an icebreaker up the east coast of Hudson Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Associated with the January SICB meeting was a letter-writing campaign to the Prime Minister urging support of Arctic research, which received reaction in the press. The Arctic symposium at the SICB was deemed very worthwhile. The only entomological work done in the Arctic last year was that under the Survey’s arctic project. An arctic and boreal entomology course will be held in Churchill for two weeks in August 2003 [see page 60]. 2. Other matters
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