How Indirect Interactions Influence the Canadian Taiga Community

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Industrialization is an integral part of the Canadian economy as it provides various jobs for citizens. Some industries that utilize Canadian taiga communities’ soil include forestry and mining. At present, greater than 30% of the Canadian boreal forests or Taiga have been either currently utilized or reserved for future developments, and these activities displace the insects and animals from their usual habitats due to the construction of roads or paving of paths for human use (Boreal Songbird Initiative, n.d.).
Historically, logging has been rampant in the Canadian boreal forests, destroying 65% of the approximately 2.5 million acres of all the Canadian forests annually (Boreal Songbird Initiative, n.d.). Le Borgne et al. (2018) explained that logging causes habitat disturbance that alters the availability of resources to boreal forest animals, particularly the tiny mammalian taxa. These result in the changes in the function and results of various interspecific interactions in the organization of the assemblages of different species. Particularly, post-logging habitats have a more substantial impact on the interspecific interactions compared to the premorbid state of the forest. There is an increase in the competitiveness between the species, demonstrating a similar phenomenon to the survival of the fittest.
Boisvert et al. (2021) investigated the effects of mining on the five most common boreal understorey plant species. The results suggest that the changes in soil composition due to the effects of mining on the soil surface, including decreased forest cover, soil contamination, and particle deposition, harm Coptis trifolia and M. canadense due to the reduced abundance of these plant species near the mines. Conversely, Cornus canadensis have shown an increase in numbers near the mines secondary to the plant species’ resistance to stress. Lastly, no significant effects were observed on Linnaea borealis and Lysimachia borealis.
Aside from these, another identified indirect interactions are human disturbances, which have affected the forests in North...