Population Ecology of Caribou in British Columbia

Seip, Dale R.; Cichowski, Deborah

doi:10.7557/2.16.4.1223

Cited by 40 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Caribou herds for which calving or summer ranges overlap with moose and wolves have higher mortality rates than herds that spatially separate from areas used by wolves and moose (Bergerud & Page, 1987;Seip, 1992a). Females may compromise nutritional gains by using alpine areas where predation risk may be lower (Bergerud et al, 1984;Bergerud & Page, 1987;Bergerud et al, 1990;Gustine et al, 2006a), but survival is higher (Seip & Cichowski, 1996) than in lower-elevation forests. During seasons when nutritional demands for caribou are high (e.g., pregnant or lactating females in spring), caribou may move to areas containing more abundant or highquality forage and increase risk of predation (Gustine et al, 2006a).…”

Section: Seasonal Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of seasonal habitat selection between threatened woodland caribou ecotypes in central British Columbia

Jones

Gillingham

Seip

et al. 2007

Ran

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Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in British Columbia have been classified into ecotypes based on differences in use of habitat in winter. Although recovery planning focuses on ecotypes, habitat use and selection varies within ecotypes. Our objectives were to compare habitat use and selection among previously identified woodland caribou herds at the transition zone between northern (Moberly, Quintette, and Kennedy herds) and mountain (Parsnip herd) ecotypes in central British Columbia. We developed selection models for each herd in spring, calving, summer/fall, early and late winter. Topographic models best predicted selection by most herds in most seasons, but importance of vegetation-cover was highlighted by disproportionate use of specific vegetation-cover types by all caribou herds (e.g., in early winter, 75% of Kennedy locations were in pine-leading stands, 84% of Parsnip locations were in fir and fir-leading stands, and 87 and 96% of locations were in alpine for the Moberly and Quintette herds, respectively). Using a combination of GPS and VHF radio-collar locations, we documented some spatial overlap among herds within the year, but use of vegetation-cover types and selection of elevations, aspects, and vegetation-cover types differed among herds and within ecotypes in all seasons. Habitat use and selection were most similar between the two northern-ecotype herds residing on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. This research indicates that habitat use and selection by caribou herds in all seasons is more variable than ecotype classifications suggest and demonstrates the value of undertaking herd-specific mapping of critical habitat for woodland caribou.

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Section: Seasonal Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of seasonal habitat selection between threatened woodland caribou ecotypes in central British Columbia

Jones

Gillingham

Seip

et al. 2007

Ran

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“…Negative effects can eventually occur, for example, if corridors increase caribou concentration and consequently favour predation (Seip and Cichowski 1996). Despite these possible negative effects, at this stage it seems advisable to maintain corridors, but future research will be needed to determine their effectiveness.…”

Section: G3 Maintain Habitat Connectivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest management guidelines for forest-dwelling caribou in Québec

Courtois¹,

Ouellet²,

Dussault³

et al. 2004

The Forestry Chronicle

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The forest-dwelling ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is vulnerable to predation, hunting, and disturbances due to anthropogenic activities. Its strategies of space and habitat use are oriented towards reducing the effects of these limiting factors. Caribou occupy large home ranges, undertake extensive movements, and avoid fragmented areas. They use various habitats, but especially mature and over-mature conifer stands with irregular structure, which are less suitable for other ungulates, wolves and black bears. In order to protect habitat for forest-dwelling caribou, we suggest an ecosystem approach based on the protection of large forested blocks, the concentration of forest harvesting in large management blocks, and the maintenance of habitat connectivity. This strategy focuses on short-term conservation of minimum caribou habitats in the protected blocks, a medium-term habitat recovery in the management blocks, the maintenance of forest activities, and facilitation of seasonal and dispersal movements. Within the management blocks, we recommend creation of an irregular forest structure similar to the pattern created by natural disturbances inherent to spruce-moss forests. These guidelines have been tested in Québec for the last few years and were well received by forest and wildlife agencies as well as the forest industry.Key words: adaptive management, boreal forest, ecosystem management, forest-dwelling ecotype, forest management, spruce forest, woodland caribou L'écotype forestier du caribou des bois (Rangifer tarandus caribou) est vulnérable à la prédation, à la chasse et aux dérangements anthropiques. Ses stratégies d'utilisation de l'espace et des habitats visent à réduire l'impact de ces facteurs. Il occupe de grands domaines vitaux, effectue de grands déplacements et évite les milieux fragmentés par la coupe et les perturbations naturelles. Il utilise différents habitats mais surtout les forêts résineuses matures et surannées de structure irrégulière moins propices aux autres cervidés et aux pré-dateurs. Pour aménager l'habitat du caribou forestier, nous recommandons une approche écosystémique basée sur la protection de grands massifs forestiers, la concentration des coupes forestières dans de grands blocs d'aménagement et le maintien de la connectivité des habitats. Cette stratégie permettra de conserver un habitat minimum à court terme, de reconstituer des habitats propices à moyen terme, de maintenir les activités forestières et de faciliter les mouvements saisonniers et la dispersion du caribou. À l'intérieur des blocs d'aménagement, nous proposons de s'inspirer du régime des perturbations naturelles ayant cours dans la pessière à mousses pour régénérer des forêts de structure irrégulière. Ces lignes directrices sont expérimentées au Québec depuis quelques années et elles furent bien reçues par les agences forestières et fauniques aussi bien que par l'industrie forestière.Mots-clés : aménagement forestier, aménagement écosystémique, caribou des bois, écotype forestier, forêt ...

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“…McLellan et al (2006) hypothesized that rapid declines in alternative prey abundance due to severe winters may have resulted in increased searching time by predators and thus greater encounter and kill rates of caribou until predator numbers declined or other ungulates increased. Although this hypothesis remains untested, they suggested that instability of the predator/prey system is why caribou trends often show rapid declines followed by a period of apparent stability (Seip & Cichowski, 1996;McLellan et al, 2006).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada

Serrouya¹,

McLellan²,

Apps³

et al. 2008

Ran

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Mountain caribou are an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) that live in highprecipitation, mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia and northern Idaho. The distribution and abundance of these caribou have declined dramatically from historical figures. Results from many studies have indicated that mountain caribou rely on old conifer forests for several life-history requirements including an abundance of their primary winter food, arboreal lichen, and a scarcity of other ungulates and their predators. These old forests often have high timber value, and understanding mountain caribou ecology at a variety of spatial scales is thus required to develop effective conservation strategies. Here we summarize results of studies conducted at three different spatial scales ranging from broad limiting factors at the population level to studies describing the selection of feeding sites within seasonal home ranges of individuals. The goal of this multi-scale review is to provide a more complete picture of caribou ecology and to determine possible shifts in limiting factors across scales. Our review produced two important results. First, mountain caribou select old forests and old trees at all spatial scales, signifying their importance for foraging opportunities as well as conditions required to avoid alternate ungulates and their predators. Second, relationships differ across scales. For example, landscapes dominated by roads and edges negatively affect caribou survival, but appear to attract caribou during certain times of the year. This juxtaposition of fine-scale behaviour with broad-scale vulnerability to predation could only be identified through integrated multi-scale analyses of resource selection. Consequently we suggest that effective management strategies for endangered species require an integrative approach across multiple spatial scales to avoid a focus that may be too narrow to maintain viable populations.

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Population Ecology of Caribou in British Columbia

Cited by 40 publications

References 12 publications

Comparison of seasonal habitat selection between threatened woodland caribou ecotypes in central British Columbia

Comparison of seasonal habitat selection between threatened woodland caribou ecotypes in central British Columbia

Forest management guidelines for forest-dwelling caribou in Québec

A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada

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