Examination of two new technologies to assess the diet of woodland caribou: video recorders attached to collars and DNA barcoding

NewmasterSteven, G; ThompsonIan, D; SteevesRoyce, A D; Rodgers, Arthur R.; FazekasAron, J; MalolesJose, R; McMullin, Richard Troy; FryxellJohn, M

doi:10.1139/cjfr-2013-0108

Cited by 55 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…These methods have wellknown limitations (31). Direct observation requires high visibility and is prone to omission (e.g., of foraging at night or on uncommon plants).…”

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confidence: 99%

DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores

Kartzinel

Chen

Coverdale

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

466

536

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Niche partitioning facilitates species coexistence in a world of limited resources, thereby enriching biodiversity. For decades, biologists have sought to understand how diverse assemblages of large mammalian herbivores (LMH) partition food resources. Several complementary mechanisms have been identified, including differential consumption of grasses versus nongrasses and spatiotemporal stratification in use of different parts of the same plant. However, the extent to which LMH partition food-plant species is largely unknown because comprehensive species-level identification is prohibitively difficult with traditional methods. We used DNA metabarcoding to quantify diet breadth, composition, and overlap for seven abundant LMH species (six wild, one domestic) in semiarid African savanna. These species ranged from almost-exclusive grazers to almost-exclusive browsers: Grass consumption inferred from mean sequence relative read abundance (RRA) ranged from >99% (plains zebra) to <1% (dik-dik). Grass RRA was highly correlated with isotopic estimates of % grass consumption, indicating that RRA conveys reliable quantitative information about consumption. Dietary overlap was greatest between species that were similar in body size and proportional grass consumption. Nonetheless, diet composition differed between all species-even pairs of grazers matched in size, digestive physiology, and location-and dietary similarity was sometimes greater across grazing and browsing guilds than within them. Such taxonomically fine-grained diet partitioning suggests that coarse trophic categorizations may generate misleading conclusions about competition and coexistence in LMH assemblages, and that LMH diversity may be more tightly linked to plant diversity than is currently recognized.African savannas | body size | competition | coexistence | ungulates D ietary niche partitioning contributes to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity by alleviating competition and allowing ecologically similar consumers to coexist (1-3). Of the many faunas in which this mechanism is thought to play a major structuring role, few have inspired as much research and debate as the diverse assemblages of large mammalian herbivores (LMH) (≥5 kg) that occur in African savannas and that were globally widespread before the Pleistocene extinctions (4-7). These assemblages often comprise 10-25 species (8, 9) that forage within the same areas. How can so many apparently generalist consumer species coexist on a limited range of resource types?Attempts to address this question have yielded several key insights. One is that sympatric LMH vary in their proportional consumption of grasses versus browse (i.e., all nongrasses, including trees, shrubs, and forbs) (10). Thus, LMH can achieve dietary separation along a spectrum from pure grazers to pure browsers, and species can be categorized as predominantly grazers, browsers, or mixed feeders. In recent decades, stable-isotope analysis of C 3 (browse) versus C 4 (grass) consumption has been used to quantify this continu...

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“…These methods have wellknown limitations (31). Direct observation requires high visibility and is prone to omission (e.g., of foraging at night or on uncommon plants).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores

Kartzinel

Chen

Coverdale

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

466

536

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“…Cladonia mitis, C. stellaris, C. stygia and C. uncialis (Fig. 2) were identified as candidates for collection based on their importance to woodland caribou winter diets (Environment Canada 2012, Newmaster et al 2013, B.C. Conservation Data Centre 2016a, and the abundance of these species in the project area.…”

Section: Are There Community Risks To Transporting Species?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Caribou are diet specialists, utilizing lichen-rich habitat for forage during winter months (Cichhowski 1993, Dzus 2001, Newmaster et al 2013. This is the time of year when food is most limited and environmental conditions are most difficult.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…canopy, has poorly developed herbaceous and shrub cover, with an abundance of lichen mats of Cladonia uncialis and C. sub-genus Cladina in the understory. The sub-genus Cladina excludes Cladonia uncialis, but includes four terrestrial lichen species (Cladonia mitis, C. rangiferina, C. stellaris, and C. stygia) that are the most frequently eaten species in the winter months by woodland caribou in Canada (Environment Canada 2012, Newmaster et al 2013, B.C. Conservation Data Centre 2016a.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…turbinata, and arboreal lichen species (i.e., Bryoria spp.) for forage (Cichowski 1993, Newmaster et al 2013, B.C. Conservation Data Centre 2016b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Examining the role of terrestrial lichen transplants in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat

Rapai¹,

McColl²,

McMullin³

2017

The Forestry Chronicle

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The development of habitat restoration techniques for restoring critical woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) winter habitat will play an important role in meeting the management thresholds in woodland caribou recovery plans. The goal is to restore disturbed environments within critical winter habitat for the declining woodland caribou. Woodland caribou are diet specialists, utilizing lichen-rich habitat for forage during winter months. Cladonia sub-genus Cladina is the most frequently eaten species during this time. Herein, we provide: 1) A review of previously used methods for transplanting Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and their feasibility in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat; 2) A stepby-step protocol on how to carry out a terrestrial lichen transplant program (using Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and C. uncialis); and, 3) An evaluation of our protocol through the establishment of a case study in northern British Columbia. Our results indicate that transplanting C. sub-genus Cladina fragments is the most efficient technique for transplanting terrestrial lichen communities, but transplanting lichen 'patches' or 'mats' may also be effective.Key words: Cladonia, Cladina, reindeer lichen, restoration, winter habitat RÉSUMÉLa mise au point de techniques de réhabilitation pour restaurer l'habitat vital d'hiver essentiel du caribou forestier (Rangifer tarandus caribou) jouera un rôle important pour l'atteinte des seuils d'aménagement dans les plans de rétablissement du caribou forestier. Il s'agit en fait de restaurer les environnements perturbés dans les domaines vitaux pour la caribou forestier dont la population est en déclin. Le caribou forestier a une diète spécifique et compter sur les habitats riches en lichen pour s'alimenter durant les mois d'hiver. C' est principalement la Cladonia du sous-genre Cladina dont il se nourrit durant cette période. Dans cet article, nous proposons: 1) Une analyse des méthodes utilisée précédemment pour transplanter la Cladonia du sous-genre Cladina et leur potentiel pour restaurer l'habitat d'hivernement du caribou forestier; 2) Un protocole détaillé pour réaliser un programme terrestre de transplantation (avec la Cladonia du sous-genre Cladina et C. uncialis); et, 3) Une évaluation de notre protocole au moyen d'une étude de cas que nous avons réalisée dans le nord de la Colombie-Britannique. Nos résultats indiquent que la façon la plus efficace pour transplanter des communautés de lichens terrestres consiste à transplanter des fragments de C. sous-genre Cladina, mais qu' on peut aussi la transplanter sous forme de « talles » (patches) ou de « plaques »' (mats). For personal use only. Mots

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Woodland caribou habitat selection patterns in relation to predation risk and forage abundance depend on reproductive state

Viejou

Avgar

Brown

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The ideal free distribution assumes that animals select habitats that are beneficial to their fitness. When the needs of dependent offspring differ from those of the parent, ideal habitat selection patterns could vary with the presence or absence of offspring. We test whether habitat selection depends on reproductive state due to top‐down or bottom‐up influences on the fitness of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), a threatened, wide‐ranging herbivore. We combined established methods of fitting resource and step selection functions derived from locations of collared animals in Ontario with newer techniques, including identifying calf status from video collar footage and seasonal habitat selection analysis through latent selection difference functions. We found that females with calves avoided predation risk and proximity to roads more strongly than females without calves within their seasonal ranges. At the local scale, females with calves avoided predation more strongly than females without calves. Females with calves increased predation avoidance but not selection for food availability upon calving, whereas females without calves increased selection for food availability across the same season. These behavioral responses suggest that habitat selection by woodland caribou is influenced by reproductive state, such that females with calves at heel use habitat selection to offset the increased vulnerability of their offspring to predation risk.

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Examination of two new technologies to assess the diet of woodland caribou: video recorders attached to collars and DNA barcoding

Cited by 55 publications

References 19 publications

DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores

DNA metabarcoding illuminates dietary niche partitioning by African large herbivores

Examining the role of terrestrial lichen transplants in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat

Woodland caribou habitat selection patterns in relation to predation risk and forage abundance depend on reproductive state

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