Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services
FAQs: Ecological Communities
What is an ecological community?
The B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC) and NatureServe network use the term "Ecological Community" to capture the full range of ecosystems in B.C. at a variety of levels. The term "ecological" is a direct reference to the integration of non-biological features such as soil, landform, climate and disturbance factors. The term "community" reflects the interactions of living organisms (plants animals, fungi, bacteria, etc.), and the relationships that exist between the living and non-living components of the "community".
Currently, the most common ecological communities that are known in B.C. are based on the Vegetation Classification component of the Ministry of Forests and Range Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification, which focuses on the terrestrial plant associations of B.C.'s native plants. Additional ecological communities are documented from inventory projects, theses, and other reports. Future work will incorporate levels of aquatic and marine ecological communities as well as various other levels of ecosystems.
Ecosystems provide the foundation that supports all life forms as they exist today. Ecological services are provided by ecological processes and functions, which in turn provide benefits that we enjoy. Examples are safe, clean drinking water, clean air, flood control, and economic resources (timber, fisheries, ecotourism, etc.). Our health, safety and quality of life depend on the health and integrity of ecosystems so they can continue to provide these services and benefits.
Why doesn't BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer list an ecological community I found?
If it is not on the list at all you may have found an ecological community that either has not been documented before, since some parts of the province are not well sampled, or is a local variation of a recognized type.
If it is on the list but not for your area or the Biogeoclimatic (BGC) unit in which you found it:
- The BGC unit(s) in which this ecological community occurs may not have been mapped in your Forest District (FD) because it may occur in areas that have not been sampled, or may be a very small area on the border of your FD.
- We may not have data that show that this ecological community occurs in the BGC in which you have found it.
If you have mapped and documented an ecological community we encourage you to submit your data (including plot forms, air photos and mapping) using the Ecological Community Conservation Evaluation form available on the CDC Data Contributions web page. We will review your data to verify the ecological community occurrence, and, where appropriate, update the CDC database.
We may also have data for this ecological community, but have not had a chance to assess and incorporate these data into our database.
The CDC appreciates all contributions of data. For information on how to submit your data please refer to the CDC Data Contributions web page. Field data forms and the Ecological Community Conservation Evaluation form can be downloaded from this page and used to record data. We will review your data to verify the ecological community occurrence, and, where appropriate, update the CDC database.
Can mid-seral stages contribute to conservation of ecosystems at risk?
Successional and structural descriptors of ecosystems at risk are often used to provide a sense of the developmental stages that characterize the mature plant community with good to excellent ecological integrity. This has caused some confusion over whether or not the mid-seral stages are important ecosystems for conservation. For example, statements that mid-seral ecosystems do not represent ecosystems at risk, or that they are not worth conserving, have been reported.
Some ecosystems at risk have greatly reduced area in mature and late seral stages. In these situations occurrences of mid-seral stages may be recommended for protection in order to achieve the necessary recruitment for representation of late-seral stages over time.
What is the relationship between ecological community and site series?
It is a common expectation that B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC) ecological communities will correspond directly to the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range (MoFR) site series, because site series are widely used in resource management in the province. However, CDC ecological communities are derived primarily from the MoFR Vegetation Classification, not from the MoFR Site Classification. The MOF Vegetation Classification is a component of the Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) that describes plant associations. Plant associations are equivalent to CDC ecological communities.
A site series is a location on the ground that has the potential to produce a particular plant association. It can be identified even when there is no vegetation present. However, in order to identify the CDC ecological community, the characteristic vegetation and physiognomic structure must be present. In the BEC system, each plant association can potentially occur on one or more site series, but each site series has the potential to produce only one mature plant association.
B.C. Species and Ecosystem Explorer (BCSEE) lists the site series from published BEC Field Guides, on which an ecological community is known to occur. BEC Field Guides, which are accessible through the BCSEE Reports section, can be used to link the vegetation of ecological communities to site series identified on the ground.
Where can I find descriptions of ecological communities at risk?
The B.C. Conservation Data Centre (CDC) provides downloadable Community Summaries from BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer (BCSEE). These summaries include name, classification, range and references for all ecological communities. For some ecological communities, vegetation and environment descriptions are also included in the Community Summaries, available from the BCSEE Reports and References page. This page also includes links to NatureServe reports prepared by B.C. CDC and NatureServe staff.
Where vegetation and environment descriptions are not included in the BCSEE Community Summary, please refer to the references included on the BCSEE Reports and References page. For ecological communities that are sourced from the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) system (formerly managed by Ministry of Forests and Lands), please refer to the relevant published Land Management Handbook(s), and use the vegetation and environment tables for the related site series. Full vegetation and environment tables are also available through the BEC “Information Requests” for these ecological communities (plant associations).
Most ecological communities are based on the plant association, which is the basic unit of the Vegetation Classification component of the provincial Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC). Each plant association is assigned a unique name that includes two to four of the plant species characteristic of that ecosystem after long periods of stability. Since a few species tend to occur as dominants in a variety of ecological communities, it is the combination of both dominant and indicator species that imparts the unique ecological ‘label’ for a complex, interacting system.
Plant species are used to support the vegetation classification because plants are strong integrators of site characteristics and are readily identifiable and measurable components of the ecosystem. Knowledge of how plant species respond to soil moisture and soil nutrients enables the correlation between climatic and physical site conditions. Groups of plant species tend to occur together in response to similar conditions. On occasion a local variation or disturbance factor may mean that one of the species in the name might not be present, however, the combination of other species on the site and the ecological conditions, can still be used to help identify the ecological community.
The name (or ‘label’) encapsulates much more information about the ecosystem, including climate (macro / meso), geomorphological and geological history (what is ‘shaping’ the landscape), soil moisture and soil nutrients, and all of the associated species including soil organisms and species at risk. In the same way that the name Northern Goshawk imparts a wealth of information about the species to the expert, the name of an ecological community is much more than just a name.
Links to other FAQ topics
Endangered Species and Ecosystems
BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer
Red, Blue and Yellow Lists
Known Locations of Species and Ecosystems
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