Editing Canadian Shield (section)

== Ecology ==
<!-- Not quite ready to delete this yet, but it does not seem germane to geology. Definitely of use to a GEOGRAPHY article about the same area. -->
[[Image:BlackRiver1.JPG|thumb|Typical shield landscape in a southern Ontario region with very few old growth trees, due to a history of logging and fires. Black River, Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park.]]

The current [[geomorphology|surface expression]] of the shield is one of very thin soil lying on top of the bedrock, with many bare [[Outcrop|outcrops]]. This arrangement was caused by severe glaciation during the ice ages that covered the shield and scraped the rock clean. The lowlands of the Canadian Shield have a very dense soil that is not suitable for forestation; it also contains many marshes and bogs ([[muskeg]]s). The rest of the region has coarse soil that does not retain moisture well and is frozen with [[permafrost]] throughout the year. Forests are not as dense in the north.

The shield is covered in parts by vast [[Taiga|boreal forests]] in the south that support natural [[ecosystem]]s as well as a major [[logging]] industry. The boreal forest area gives way to the [[Eastern Canadian Shield taiga]] that covers northern Quebec and most of Labrador. The [[Midwestern Canadian Shield forests]] that run westwards from [[Northwestern Ontario]] have boreal forests that give way to taiga in the most northerly parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. [[Hydrology|Hydrologic]] drainage is generally poor, the soil compacting effects of glaciation being one of the many causes. [[Tundra]] typically prevails in the northern regions. 

Many mammals such as [[North_American_beaver|beaver]], [[caribou]], [[white-tailed deer]], [[moose]], [[Gray wolf|wolves]], [[wolverine]]s, [[weasel]]s, [[mink]], [[otter]]s, [[grizzly bear]], [[polar bear]]s and [[American black bear|black bears]] are present.<ref>{{NatGeo ecoregion|id=na0612|name=Northern Canadian Shield taiga}}</ref> In the case of polar bears ({{Lang|la|Ursus maritimus}}), the shield area contains many of their [[Maternity den|denning]] locations, such as the [[Wapusk National Park]].<ref>C. Michael Hogan (2008) [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=36084 ''Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224205716/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=36084 |date=December 24, 2008 }}</ref>
The many lakes and rivers on the shield contain a plentiful quantity of different sports fish species, including [[walleye]], [[northern pike]], [[lake trout]], [[yellow perch]], [[lake whitefish|whitefish]], [[brook trout]], [[arctic grayling]], and many types of baitfish.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://northernontario.travel/fishing/making-sense-shield-lakes-and-rivers#:~:text=big%20walleye%2C%20bass%2C%20lake%20trout%20and%20northern%20pike.&text=As%20a%20matter%20of%20fact,this%20shield%20lake%20or%20river. | title=Making Sense of Shield Lakes and Rivers &#124; Northern Ontario Travel | date=28 June 2016 }}</ref> The water surfaces are also home to many [[waterfowl]], most notably [[Canada geese]], [[loons]] and [[gulls]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ecozones.ca/english/zone/BorealShield/wildlife.html | title=Wildlife of the Boreal Shield Ecozone }}</ref> The vast forests contain a myriad population of other birds, including [[Raven|ravens]] and [[crows]], [[predatory birds]] and many [[songbirds]].