Martes Foot-Loading and Snowfall Patterns in Eastern North America

Krohn, William B.; Hoving, Christopher L.; Harrison, Daniel J.; Phillips, David M.; Frost, Herbert H.

doi:10.1007/0-387-22691-5_5

Cited by 18 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The most influential vegetation classes were those dominated by large conifers or mixed conifer/hardwood forests with medium-sized trees. Altogether, these patterns conform closely to our understandings of the fisher’s environmental relations in this region [21, 37, 41–42, 53]. In contrast, the best habitat in the unscreened distribution map was located in relatively old (> 140 yr), conifer-dominated forests at high elevations (mean = 1,412 m) where deep snowpacks form (Fig 5).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…In this region, however, fishers typically occur in low- to mid-elevation forests where deep, soft snow does not accumulate, because it is energetically demanding for them to travel in such conditions, and they cannot hunt effectively in the subnivean zone [21, 41–42]. Although remnant marten populations occur in coastal areas of the Pacific States that receive little snowfall [24], most marten populations are restricted to high-elevation montane forests where deep snowpacks form.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The importance of data quality for generating reliable distribution models for rare, elusive, and cryptic species

2017

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The availability of spatially referenced environmental data and species occurrence records in online databases enable practitioners to easily generate species distribution models (SDMs) for a broad array of taxa. Such databases often include occurrence records of unknown reliability, yet little information is available on the influence of data quality on SDMs generated for rare, elusive, and cryptic species that are prone to misidentification in the field. We investigated this question for the fisher (Pekania pennanti), a forest carnivore of conservation concern in the Pacific States that is often confused with the more common Pacific marten (Martes caurina). Fisher occurrence records supported by physical evidence (verifiable records) were available from a limited area, whereas occurrence records of unknown quality (unscreened records) were available from throughout the fisher’s historical range. We reserved 20% of the verifiable records to use as a test sample for both models and generated SDMs with each dataset using Maxent. The verifiable model performed substantially better than the unscreened model based on multiple metrics including AUCtest values (0.78 and 0.62, respectively), evaluation of training and test gains, and statistical tests of how well each model predicted test localities. In addition, the verifiable model was consistent with our knowledge of the fisher’s habitat relations and potential distribution, whereas the unscreened model indicated a much broader area of high-quality habitat (indices > 0.5) that included large expanses of high-elevation habitat that fishers do not occupy. Because Pacific martens remain relatively common in upper elevation habitats in the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada, the SDM based on unscreened records likely reflects primarily a conflation of marten and fisher habitat. Consequently, accurate identifications are far more important than the spatial extent of occurrence records for generating reliable SDMs for the fisher in this region. We strongly recommend that practitioners avoid using anecdotal occurrence records to build SDMs but, if such data are used, the validity of resulting models should be tested with verifiable occurrence records.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of data quality for generating reliable distribution models for rare, elusive, and cryptic species

2017

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“…Precipitation interacts with competitive advantage and habitat selection to influence marten and fisher distributions. Specifically, deep snow has been proposed to limit the distribution of fishers whereas marten distribution has been shown to be limited by the abundance of the larger-bodied fisher (Raine 1983;Krohn et al 1995Krohn et al , 1997Krohn et al , 2004. The geographic distributions of two species are described as either allopatric (nonoverlapping), sympatric (overlapping) or parapatric (adjoining), but they are actually a continuum (Bull 1991).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche overlap of competing carnivores across climatic gradients and the conservation implications of climate change at geographic range margins

Zielinski¹,

Tucker²,

Rennie³

2017

Biological Conservation

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1 Co-first authors.There is considerable interest in factors controlling "warm-edge" limitsthe lower elevation and latitudinal edges of a species' range. Understanding whether conservation measures can mitigate anticipated change in climate requires consideration of future climate as well as species interactions. We explored niche relations of martens and fishers at their southern range margins to understand their spatial and temporal dynamics, and how they may be affected by climate change. We used large-scale non-invasive surveys and home range data from radio-marked individuals to explore the spatial dynamics of each species. Marten and fisher were allopatric in the northern/wetter regions but sympatric at intermediate latitudes with lower precipitation. In the driest/southernmost region only fishers occurred. Martens were not detected when annual precipitation was < 900 mm and rare where minimum temperatures exceeded 4ºC. Fishers were absent where spring snow was > 650 mm. Classification trees, accounting for multivariate interactions, supported these results. Where sympatric, ~70% of a marten's home range overlapped with at least one fisher but martens tended to avoid this area. In sympatry, marten expanded their niche into areas with reduced snowpack, warmer temperatures and uncharacteristic lower elevation habitats. Future climate scenarios predict conditions that favor fishers, but our data suggest martens may be capable of shifting their niche somewhat to warmer and less snowy habitats. The conservation of interacting species at their warm range limits will require land managers be aware of interspecific tolerance, how each may respond uniquely to future climates, and how potential climate refugia can be integrated with existing habitat.Understanding the causes of shifts in range limits is a fundamental issue for ecology and conservation (Sexton et al. 2009). Range limits can be a testing ground to understand the environmental conditions to which populations can adapt (Brown et al. 1996, Sexton et al. 2009 and the conditions that we need to preserve and connect as climate changes. "Warm-edge" limits the margins of a species' range that are closest to the equator or at the species' lower elevational limitsare very likely to be affected by climate change and biotic factors such as competition for resources and predation that accompany these changes (Cahill et al. 2014, Louthan et al. 2015. Consequently, predicting how range limits might respond to climate change requires evaluation of both climatic factors and species interactions.North American martens (Martes americana and M.caurina) and the fisher (Pekania pennanti) are good subjects for the study of distributional patterns because important biotic and abiotic effects on their geographic ranges have previously been explored. Additionally, both species are the focus of conservation concerns with the southern Sierra Nevada fisher population under consideration as a threatened species at both the state and federal level, and marten designated a sensitive s...

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“…These forest types are correlated with elevation and, because our focus was not the species‐forest type interaction, we felt justified in using elevation as a proxy. Similarly, snow depth and penetrability were also deeper at high‐elevation, especially later in the season, which may also explain the mechanism influencing space use because martens are adapted for snow that provides a competitive advantage (Krohn et al ), offers resting and hunting sites (Buskirk et al , Thompson and Colgan ), and potentially increases functional connectivity (Moriarty et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…July was the warmest month, averaging 18°C (13–21°C), and January the coldest, averaging −11°C (−19 to −4°C); the extreme low and high temperatures for the region were −40°C, and 35°C, respectively (National Climate Data Center, http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov, accessed 15 Jul 2016). The average (range) annual precipitation since 1948 was 107 cm (63–175 cm) with highly variable snowfall (

\bar{x}

= 288 cm; range = 79–881 cm; National Climate Data Center), which was within the range of marten occurrence for the region (≥240 cm snowfall/yr; Krohn et al ). Snowfall during the survey period was lower than average (winter 2011–2012: 167 cm; National Climate Data Center).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 96%

Potential influence of high‐elevation wind farms on carnivore mobility

Sirén¹,

Pekins²,

Kilborn

et al. 2017

J Wildl Manag

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Wind power development is regarded as a clean energy source. Efforts to mitigate climate change, however, may degrade habitat and compromise wildlife. During winter 2011–2012, we examined the potential influence of a wind farm on a community of carnivores in the New England‐Acadian Forest, northern New Hampshire, United States, with a focus on American martens (Martes americana), a mid‐ to late‐successional forest species adapted for snow. We counted marten, red fox (Vulpes fulva), and coyote (Canis latrans) tracks and measured snowpack along roads, and snowmobile and hiking trails to determine the relative influence of wind farms on space use for each species. We observed all species at high‐elevations (>823 m), although use frequency varied by road or trail type. As expected, we detected martens most often at high elevations along hiking trails and least often along wind farm roads. We observed the opposite pattern for red foxes and coyotes. Additionally, there was a higher probability of observing canids when snow depth increased and a lower probability when penetrability increased. Although our results indicate spatial partitioning, the edge habitat and compacted snow created by wind farm roads increased access for canids to high‐elevation forest. In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, these conditions may increase competition for martens and lower population viability. Future wind development should minimize disturbance of rare habitats, especially those considered climate refugia. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Martes Foot-Loading and Snowfall Patterns in Eastern North America

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

The importance of data quality for generating reliable distribution models for rare, elusive, and cryptic species

The importance of data quality for generating reliable distribution models for rare, elusive, and cryptic species

Niche overlap of competing carnivores across climatic gradients and the conservation implications of climate change at geographic range margins

Potential influence of high‐elevation wind farms on carnivore mobility

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