Mosses are easily overlooked, but they’re hugely important to Alberta’s ecosystems. From filtering water and serving as food and habitat to better-known species, to maintaining soil and—in some places—even outstripping the primary productivity of the forest canopy far above, these tiny, unsung plants are full of surprises. On November 3rd @ noon Mountain Time, join [...]
The ABMI is happy to continue its regular feature in BIOS, the newsletter of the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists. The following post is adapted from a version that originally appeared in the Autumn 2021 issue. Here at the ABMI, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about biodiversity. It is, after all, [...]
ABMI acarologist—that’s someone who studies mites and ticks—Dr. Lisa Lumley presented Mites in Alberta as part of our It’s Our Nature to Know webinar series. Lisa outlined the ABMI’s mite research, and why collecting data on mites in the province is important to Albertans and helps to support land-use decision making. “Oribatid mites are the [...]
In 2020, Alberta Views Magazine and the ABMI partnered for the “What Does Biodiversity Mean to You” Essay Contest. The ABMI is a proud sponsor of this competition and we hope it fosters further conversation about how Albertans view and engage with biodiversity. Please note that the views of the authors are their own and [...]
On June 29, ABMI lichenologist Dr. Diane Haughland presented Lichens of Alberta, the second in our It’s Our Nature to Know webinar series. Diane studies the taxonomy and ecology of Alberta’s lichens, and her team is responsible for identifying thousands of lichens from across the province each year to help track changes in Alberta’s biodiversity. [...]
Habitat loss in Woodland Caribou ranges has accelerated in Alberta and British Columbia, according to recent research by the Caribou Monitoring Unit and Federal and Provincial government collaborators. Despite Canada having some of the most intact forests in the world, habitat loss is a major cause of Woodland Caribou population declines. This new study is [...]
We’re pleased to announce the release of the ABMI Alberta-wide Wetland Inventory—our most up-to-date and high-resolution wetland data yet. Several years in the making, this work would not have been possible without the generous support of Alberta Environment and Parks, or the rapid advance of remote-sensing technologies. Thanks to the availability of incredible open-source data [...]
We’re pleased to announce the launch of our brand-new Mapping Portal, featuring new data layers, more functions, and an enhanced user interface—all inspired by feedback from you, our users. Planned as a tool for directly viewing and interacting with the ABMI’s species and geospatial data, the original Mapping Portal was launched in 2017 as part [...]