Spring migration and dispersion of woodland caribou at calving

Bergerud, Arthur T.; Ferguson, Redbird; Butler, H. E.

doi:10.1016/s0003-3472(05)80882-6

Cited by 98 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Bergerud (1974Bergerud ( , 1985 hypothesized that all caribou in Ontario would need islands or shorelines as escape habitat for calving. Other studies supported this generalization (Simkin, 1965;Bergerud, 1985;Cumming & Beange, 1987;Bergerud et al, 1990). Cumming & Beange (1987) concluded that caribou in the boreal forest show fidelity to wintering areas similar to that of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Halls, 1978).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Habitat partitioning between woodland caribou and moose in Ontario: the potential role of shared prédation risk

Cumming

Beange²,

Lavoie³

1996

Ran

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper explores mechanisms of coexistence for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) and moose (Akes alcei) preyed upon by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in northern Ontario. Autocorrelation analysis of winter track locations showed habitat partitioning by caribou and moose. Numbers of Delaunay link edges for moose-wolves did not differ significantly from what would be expected by random process, but those for caribou-wolves were significantly fewer. Thus, habitat partitioning provided implicit refuges that put greater distances between caribou and wolves, presumably decreasing prédation on the caribou. Yet, direct competition cannot be ruled out; both apparent and direct competition may be involved in real-life situations. A synthesis including both explanations fits ecological theory, as well as current understanding about caribou ecology.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Habitat partitioning between woodland caribou and moose in Ontario: the potential role of shared prédation risk

Cumming

Beange²,

Lavoie³

1996

Ran

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The influence of these factors on selection by caribou may vary at different scales. At course scales (e.g., seasonal range), caribou likely select or are able to exist in areas with a low risk of predation and then select for forage at finer scales within those areas (Bergerud et al, 1990;Rettie & Messier, 2000;Gustine et al, 2006a).…”

Section: Seasonal Habitat Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

“…Caribou (Rangifer tarandus, also known as reindeer) is a highly mobile, circumpolar ungulate that exemplifies both the value and the challenges of understanding distributional changes. Migratory females typically move in late spring and summer to the tundra, where insect harassment and predation risk are lower and forage is richer; these adaptations enhance reproductive success (Garner and Reynolds, 1986;Bergerud et al, 1990;Bergerud, 1996;Hinkes et al, 2005). Many herds demonstrate fidelity to calving and summering areas (Gunn and Miller, 1986;Schaefer et al, 2000), but the boundaries of these areas may gradually shift from year to year and change substantially over the long term Taillon et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Causes and Consequences of Broad-Scale Changes in the Distribution of Migratory Caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i>) of Southern Hudson Bay

Newton¹,

Abraham²,

Schaefer³

et al. 2015

ARCTIC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. Understanding the factors driving changes in species distributions is fundamental to conservation, but for wide-ranging species this is often complicated by the need for broad-scale observations across space and time. In the last three decades, the location of summer concentrations of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in southern Hudson Bay (SHB), Canada, has shifted south and east as much as 500 km. We used long-term data (1987 -2011) to test two hypotheses that could explain the distribution shift: forage depletion and anthropogenic disturbance. Over time and space, we compared the body size of live-captured adult female caribou, dietary quality from fecal nitrogen in July, the location of VHF-and GPS-collared female caribou in July, distribution of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tracks and caribou tracks in August, and the proximity of collared caribou to sections of the coast with higher ATV activity in spring and summer. The forage depletion hypothesis was supported by greater body size and dietary quality in caribou of the eastern portion of SHB than in western SHB animals in 2009 -11. The anthropogenic disturbance hypothesis was supported by the negative correlation of the distributions of ATV tracks and caribou tracks on the coast in 2010 and the fact that caribou avoided areas with ATV activity by 10 -14 km. In 1987, collared caribou were observed largely along the coast in western SHB in mid-July, while in 2009 -11, they were inland in western SHB and along the coast in eastern SHB. While these locations demonstrate a substantial change in summer distribution over three decades, we were unable to differentiate between forage depletion and anthropogenic disturbance as a single causal factor of the distribution shift.Key words: anthropogenic disturbance; body size; diet; distribution; fecal nitrogen; forage; migratory caribou; Hudson Bay; Rangifer tarandus; range shift RÉSUMÉ. La compréhension des facteurs qui influencent les changements caractérisant les distributions des espèces est fondamentale aux efforts de conservation, mais pour les espèces dont l'aire de distribution est étendue, ce principe est souvent compliqué par la nécessité de faire des observations à grande échelle, dans le temps et dans l'espace. Au cours des trois dernières décennies, l'emplacement des concentrations estivales du caribou migrateur (Rangifer tarandus) dans le sud de la baie d'Hudson (SBH), au Canada, s'est déplacé vers le sud et vers l'est dans une mesure de 500 km. Nous nous sommes appuyés sur des données de longue haleine pour mettre à l'épreuve deux hypothèses susceptibles d'expliquer ce changement en matière de distribution, soit l'appauvrissement du fourrage et la perturbation anthropique. Au fil du temps et de l'espace, nous avons comparé la taille du corps des caribous femelles adultes capturées vivantes, la qualité de leur alimentation à partir de l'azote fécal en juillet, l'emplacement des femelles portant un collier de type VHF ou GPS en juillet, la répartition des traces de véhicules tout terrain (VT...

show abstract

Spring migration and dispersion of woodland caribou at calving

Cited by 98 publications

References 12 publications

Habitat partitioning between woodland caribou and moose in Ontario: the potential role of shared prédation risk

Habitat partitioning between woodland caribou and moose in Ontario: the potential role of shared prédation risk

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

Causes and Consequences of Broad-Scale Changes in the Distribution of Migratory Caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i>) of Southern Hudson Bay

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About