Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate

Beumer, Larissa T.; Varpe, Øystein; Hansen, Brage Bremset

doi:10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Understanding how adverse weather conditions may affect elk movements can help anticipate changes in elk use of conflict zones and the level of management actions needed. Snowpack may influence wildlife distribution through locomotion restrictions, energetic demands, and decreased access to forage resources (Reed et al 2009, Brodie et al 2014, Beumer et al 2017, Honda and Kozakai 2020). Our results indicate that increasing snowpack, as measured by SWE, reduced the number of elk using the conflict zone in Madison despite its lower elevation than surrounding tolerance zones.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elk Responses to Management Hunting and Hazing

Jones¹,

Proffitt

Paterson

et al. 2021

J Wildl Manag

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Human‐wildlife conflicts are widespread around the world and result in property damage, disease spillover, financial loss, and decreased tolerance of wildlife. Increasing elk (Cervus canadensis) populations and land‐use changes in the western United States are challenging resource managers tasked with managing conflict. Lethal and non‐lethal management actions are commonly used to remove elk from conflict zones where they are not desired. We used radio‐collar location data collected from female elk in 2 study areas in Montana, USA, from 2017–2020 to evaluate population‐ and individual‐level responses to management actions (i.e., hunting, hazing) and environmental factors (i.e., weather, season, time of day). First, we used a generalized linear model with a logit link to evaluate the effects of hunting, hazing, time period, seasonality, and weather on the proportion of collared elk that used a conflict zone. Second, we used an ordinary linear model to assess the influence of hunting, hazing, seasonality, and weather on the duration of time that individual elk remained away from conflict zones. The proportion of elk using conflict zones was reduced by hunting, modestly reduced by hazing and increasing snowpack for 1 study area, increased at night, and decreased by a seasonal trend across months. The time individual elk remained away from conflict zones increased with the number of hazing events that occurred during an event and showed a modest seasonal trend increasing across months. For 1 study area, time away increased with the number of hunting days during an event and increasing snowpack, but the increase was biologically trivial. Our results indicate mixed responses of elk to hunting and hazing actions and provide evidence that management actions can influence elk use of conflict areas. Agencies trying to reduce conflicts may want to consider a combination of hunting and hazing, while accounting for site‐specific characteristics to keep elk away from conflict zones. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elk Responses to Management Hunting and Hazing

Jones¹,

Proffitt

Paterson

et al. 2021

J Wildl Manag

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“…The depth of penetration into the snow is noted for each time the load is dropped until the ramsonde reaches the ground (or basal ice, which is usually impenetrable). Following the protocols detailed in Beumer et al (2017), we calculated integrated ram hardness (IRH; kgcm), a measure of the total force needed to penetrate the entire snowpack (i.e., an integrated measure of snow depth and hardness). Snowpack surveys were conducted in close temporal proximity to reindeer censuses (Appendix S3: Fig.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As candidate predictor variables representing winter severity, we initially considered annual median values of snow depth, basal ice thickness, thickness of ice layers within the snowpack, and IRH. The IRH measure integrates snow depth and hardness (i.e., accounting for ice layers within the snowpack) and has previously been demonstrated to capture snow properties that affect the foraging conditions of herbivores (Skogland 1978, Beumer et al 2017. Hence, we decided to use IRH and basal ice thickness as predictor variables in the subsequent statistical analyses, as they reflect different properties and components of the snowpack that are relevant in terms of forage accessibility.…”

Section: Data Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sea or summit? Wild reindeer spatial responses to changing high‐arctic winters

et al. 2021

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Because of climate change, wildlife is facing altered environments, including profound shifts in temperature and precipitation regimes. In snow-dominated ecosystems, winter warming and resulting changes in snowpack properties impact forage accessibility for ungulates-often for the worse. The potential of individuals and populations to buffer negative fitness effects of harsh winters with "basal ice" (i.e., ice on the ground) and/or a harder or deeper snowpack depends on their ability to adjust behaviorally through changes in diet, dispersal, or small-scale habitat use. Here, we use ten years of late winter snowpack monitoring and population census data from three neighboring, semi-isolated coastal populations of high-arctic wild Svalbard reindeer to explore small-scale space use responses to annual variation in late winter-foraging conditions. Based on location data from the population censuses, we roughly classified individuals' spatial foraging strategy (i.e., habitat use) during late winter into "tundra" (foraging on tundra plains), "mountain" (foraging at high elevations, with low plant biomass but less snow and ice), or "shore" (foraging along the seashore, subsidizing terrestrial food with kelp and seaweed). Using multinomial logistic regression, we modeled the probability of reindeer adopting either of these strategies as a function of density-dependent winter severity. Our results suggest that effects of winter severity on habitat use are density-dependent and that snowpack depth and hardness (excluding basal ice, measured as "integrated ram hardness," IRH) have stronger influence on reindeer foraging behavior than basal ice, at least at such spatial scales. Particularly, high IRH increased the probability of reindeer seeking high-elevation and steep terrain instead of tundra lowlands, but not at low population density, that is, when competition for food is negligible. This strategy was most pronounced among adult males, possibly reflecting their risk-prone behavior and/or reduced competitiveness related to lack of antlers during winter. This study demonstrates important patterns of temporal, spatial, and demographic variation in reindeer's winter-foraging strategies, adding novel, nuanced insights into how climate change affects spatial processes in isolated ungulate populations. The results add to the impression of considerable behavioral flexibility, which may aid buffering the negative fitness effects of complex changes in foraging conditions due to environmental changes.

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“…The mean annual precipitation in the period 1961-1990 was 190 mm. Precipitation occurs mainly as snow during the winter months (Beumer, Varpe, & Hansen, 2017;Christiansen, 2005;Watanabe et al 2016). Longyearbyen is located in the middle Arctic tundra zone.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the occurrence of small amount of swelling clay minerals (vermiculite and/or micavermiculite and/or mica-smectite mixed layered minerals) may be an effect of chemical weathering of mica in the acidic soil environment (Borden, Ping, McCarthy, & Naidu, 2010;Szymański et al, 2015;Wilson, 2004). Gypsum, which is present at some sites, is most likely related to precipitation of salts on soil surface due to dry climate conditions of the Longyearbyen area (Beumer et al, 2017;Christiansen, 2005;Watanabe et al 2016). This is in agreement with the results obtained previously by Bryant (1982), who have also described occurrence of gypsum on soil surface in the Adventdalen.…”

Section: Mineral Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Properties and mineralogy of topsoil in the town of Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Norway)

et al. 2019

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Soil is one of the most important constituents of an ecosystem, playing a crucial role in many environmental reactions and processes. Despite the fact that many environmental studies were conducted in the vicinity of Longyearbyen, very little is known about the physical and chemical properties as well as mineralogy of soils occurring in this town. Thus, the main aims of this study were: (1) to determine the texture, chemical properties and mineralogy of the topsoil horizons of urban soils occurring in the Longyearbyen area (Spitsbergen, Norway); and (2) to determine and explain their spatial distribution within the area of Longyearbyen. In general, the topsoils are characterised by loamy texture; acidic reaction; quite high content of total organic carbon (TOC); high content of Si, Al and Fe; and low content of K, Na, Ca, Mg and P. Quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase, mica and chlorite are the prevailing minerals. Differences in the concentration of TOC, total nitrogen and elements in the topsoils are mainly related to the diversity of texture and mineralogy of the local parent material and the development of vegetation cover. The results indicate that topsoils in Longyearbyen are characterised by the natural properties and are not strongly transformed by human activity. However, pollution of soil with trace elements related to coal mining should be checked.

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Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate

Cited by 13 publications

References 65 publications

Elk Responses to Management Hunting and Hazing

Elk Responses to Management Hunting and Hazing

Sea or summit? Wild reindeer spatial responses to changing high‐arctic winters

Properties and mineralogy of topsoil in the town of Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen, Norway)

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