Range fidelity: The missing link between caribou decline and habitat alteration?

Faille, Geneviève; Ouellet, Jean‐Pierre; Fortin, Daniel; Courtois, Réhaume; St‐Laurent, Martin‐Hugues; Dussault, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.08.001

Cited by 107 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…We strongly believe that this latter situation occurred in Charlevoix, where range fidelity led to high calf mortality. We therefore suggest that the decline of the Charlevoix herd could be explained, in part, by maladaptive habitat selection behaviour (i.e., range fidelity in an unsuitable habitat matrix; Faille et al, 2010).…”

Section: Changes In the Predator -Prey Systemmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…For instance, when GrandsJardins National Park was created in 1981, around 40% of the territory was composed of early seral stage forests as a result of logging activities that occurred between 1942 and 1967 (Jasinski, 2004). Today, the area frequented by the Charlevoix caribou herd is considered to be one of the most heavily impacted areas inhabited by forest-dwelling caribou in Québec (Faille et al, 2010), with the most important habitat modifications occurring during the last four decades (see details below).…”

Section: Description Of the Charlevoix Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overall impact of black bears on caribou recruitment may be substantial given the suspected high bear density in the heavily logged landscape of Charlevoix. Such opportunistic predation on calves by bears could be exacerbated by the high range fidelity observed for caribou in Charlevoix (Faille et al, 2010), which could have two possible consequences. First, higher calf and female caribou survival could result from increased familiarity with food distribution, escape cover, and predation risk.…”

Section: Changes In the Predator -Prey Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The reintroduction of boreal caribou as a conservation strategy: A long-term assessment at the southern range limit

St‐Laurent

Dussault

2012

Ran

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Boreal caribou were extirpated from the Charlevoix region (Québec) in the 1920s because of hunting and poaching. In 1965, the Québec government initiated a caribou reintroduction program in Charlevoix. During the winters of 1966 and 1967, a total of 48 boreal caribou were captured, translocated by plane, and released within enclosures; only their offspring (82 individuals) were released in the wild. Between 1967 and 1980, a wolf control program was applied to support caribou population growth. The caribou population, however, remained relatively stable at 45-55 individuals during this period. During the 1980s, the population grew slowly at a rate of approximately 5% each year to reach a peak of 126 individuals in 1992. At that time, Bergerud & Mercer (1989) reported that the Charlevoix experiment was the only successful attempt at caribou reintroduction in the presence of predators (in North America). Afterwards, the population declined and since then it has been relatively stable at about 80 individuals. Here we reviewed the literature regarding the ecology and population dynamics of the Charlevoix caribou herd since its reintroduction, in an attempt to critically assess the value of reintroduction as a conservation tool for this species. Indeed, the Charlevoix caribou herd is now considered at very high risk of extinction mostly because of its small size, its isolation from other caribou populations, and low recruitment. The Charlevoix region has been heavily impacted by forestry activities since the early 1980s. Recent studies have indicated that these habitat modifications may have benefited populations of wolves and black bears-two predators of caribou-and that caribou range fidelity may have exposed caribou to higher predation risk via maladaptive habitat selection. As females are ageing, and females and calves suffer high predation pressure from wolves and bears respectively, we suggest that the future of this reintroduced herd is in question and that they are facing a high probability of extinction in the near future if further action is not taken.

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Section: Changes In the Predator -Prey Systemmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Description Of the Charlevoix Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Changes In the Predator -Prey Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The reintroduction of boreal caribou as a conservation strategy: A long-term assessment at the southern range limit

St‐Laurent

Dussault

2012

Ran

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“…This means that many groups of animals are effectively reproductively isolated despite being separated by only a few kilometers. A large part of this isolation is the result of strong range fidelity, which has also been observed in the boreal ecotype of this subspecies (Faille et al, 2010). This represents both an opportunity and a challenge for conservation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Because the animals tend to return to the same areas year after year, conservation efforts can ideally be very focused. However, if this range fidelity is maintained despite extensive habitat degradation (as seen by Faille et al, 2010), extremely intensive (and expensive) landscape-scale mitigation or animal relocation may be required.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal from the frying pan to the fire

Forester

2011

Animal Conservation

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Increasing fire frequency and severity will increase habitat loss for a boreal forest indicator species

Palm

Suitor

Joly

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Climate change will lead to more frequent and more severe fires in some areas of boreal forests, affecting the distribution and availability of late‐successional forest communities. These forest communities help to protect globally significant carbon reserves beneath permafrost layers and provide habitat for many animal species, including forest‐dwelling caribou. Many caribou populations are declining, yet the mechanisms by which changing fire regimes could affect caribou declines are poorly understood. We analyzed resource selection of 686 GPS‐collared female caribou from three ecotypes and 15 populations in a ~600,000 km2 region of northwest Canada and eastern Alaska. These populations span a wide gradient of fire frequency but experience low levels of human‐caused habitat disturbance. We used a mixed‐effects modeling framework to characterize caribou resource selection in response to burns at different seasons and spatiotemporal scales, and to test for functional responses in resource selection to burn availability. We also tested mechanisms driving observed selection patterns using burn severity and lichen cover data. Caribou avoided burns more strongly during winter relative to summer and at larger spatiotemporal scales relative to smaller scales. During the winter, caribou consistently avoided burns at both spatiotemporal scales as burn availability increased, indicating little evidence of a functional response. However, they decreased their avoidance of burns during summer as burn availability increased. Burn availability explained more variation in caribou selection for burns than ecotype. Within burns, caribou strongly avoided severely burned areas in winter, and this avoidance lasted nearly 30 years after a fire. Caribou within burns also selected higher cover of terrestrial lichen (an important caribou food source). We found a negative relationship between burn severity and lichen cover, confirming that caribou avoidance of burns was consistent with lower lichen abundance. Consistent winter avoidance of burns and severely burned areas suggests that caribou will experience increasing winter habitat loss as fire frequency and severity increase. Our results highlight the potential for climate‐induced alteration of natural disturbance regimes to affect boreal biodiversity through habitat loss. We suggest that management strategies prioritizing protection of core winter range habitat with lower burn probabilities would provide important climate‐change refugia for caribou.

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Range fidelity: The missing link between caribou decline and habitat alteration?

Cited by 107 publications

References 57 publications

The reintroduction of boreal caribou as a conservation strategy: A long-term assessment at the southern range limit

The reintroduction of boreal caribou as a conservation strategy: A long-term assessment at the southern range limit

Dispersal from the frying pan to the fire

Increasing fire frequency and severity will increase habitat loss for a boreal forest indicator species

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