The Alexander Archipelago wolf: a conservation assessment.

Abstract

We summarized the scientific information available for the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) in the Tongass National Forest of southeast Alaska. Information concerning the morphology, distribution, taxonomy, genetics, and ecology of wolves are presented. Three issues for the conservation of wolves in southeast Alaska are discussed: loss of long-term carrying capacity for deer due primarily to extensive timber harvesting, increased mortality of wolves associated with improved human access from roads, and continued high levels of harvest of wolves by humans.Continued timber harvesting at current levels and by current methods will likely have adverse consequences for some segments of the wolf population. Although some short-term regulatory changes and the management of road access may need to be considered to keep wolf harvest at a sustainable level, the most important consideration is to maintain long-term carrying capacity for deer, the principal prey for most of the wolf population. A series of old-growth forest reserves may provide an effective strategy to increase the likelihood that wolves will persist where extensive timber harvesting has occurred, or is planned.Keywords: Alexander Archipelago wolf, Canis lupus ligoni, effects of logging on wildlife, population dynamics of wolves, predator-prey dynamics, roads and wolf mortality, Tongass National Forest, southeast Alaska. SummaryThe Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) occupies most of southeast Alaska from Yakutat Bay to Dixon Entrance except for Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands. Based on common cranial characteristics, the Alexander Archipelago wolf was considered by early taxonomists to be a distinct subspecies. Recent taxonomic work suggests that these wolves may have originated from a larger subspecific group (C. l. nubilus) that at one time inhabited most of the contiguous Western United States. Wolves probably entered southeast Alaska sometime after the Wisconsin glaciation, following the northward expansion of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) along the coast. The hypothesis of a southern origin is supported by recent genetic research showing that wolves in southeast Alaska share a common allele not found in a sample of wolves from interior Alaska or the Yukon. The population is relatively isolated from other wolf populations by water and mountain barriers.A study of the ecology of wolves in southeast Alaska was conducted on Prince of Wales and Kosciusko Islands from 1992 to 1995. Average home-range size of radio-telemetered wolves was 280 square kilometers (109 mi 2 ), with 75 percent of the radio locations for each pack within "core areas" averaging 124 square kilometers (48 mi 2 ). Pack sizes ranged from 2 to 12, with 7 to 9 typical in early autumn. Annual rates of dispersal averaged 39 percent; 71 percent of dispersers were adults ≥2 years old. Dispersal distances were relatively short (13 to 182 kilometers [5 to 71 mi]) presumably due to inter-island water barriers. Wolf movements were more restricted duri...

Assessment of anadromous salmon resources in the diet of the Alexander Archipelago wolf using stable isotope analysis

“…Keith (1981) and Marquard-Peterson (1998) suggested that when ungulate density and vulnerability vary, dierences in wolf diets are likely to occur. Wolf densities are generally higher where deer are abundant (Van Ballenberghe et al 1975;Weaver 1994; but see Peterson and Page 1988) and this pattern is evident on southeast Alaska islands (Person et al 1996). Moose and mountain goat are the primary ungulate prey on the coastal mainland (Fox and Streveler 1986) but kill rates for wolves (and wolf densities) tend to be lower where these species prevail (Carnes et al 1996;Dale et al 1995; but see Hayes 1995).…”

“…1). Because wolves occupy large home ranges (Person et al 1996) and the spatial distribution of salmon streams in southeast Alaska is rather uniform (Alaska Department of Fish and Game 1994), we assumed that southeast Alaska wolves had equal access to anadromous salmon throughout that area. On the other hand, deer densities dier markedly across the region.…”

“…Available data for wolves in southeast Alaska indicate that Sitka black-tailed deer are their primary prey on islands and portions of the coastal mainland (Kohira 1997;Person et al 1996). Deer density varies across the region, with densities higher on islands than on the coastal mainland , and wolf densities appear to parallel those of deer.…”

“…Deer density varies across the region, with densities higher on islands than on the coastal mainland , and wolf densities appear to parallel those of deer. As logging reduces old-growth forests and habitat carrying capacity for black-tailed deer in southeast Alaska, wolf abundance is predicted to decline (Person et al 1996). Although human-caused mortality is expected, loss of primary prey is predicted to be an important risk to long-term viability and distribution of wolves in this region (Person et al 1996).…”

Willingness to pay for ecosystem conservation in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest: a choice modeling study

“…This Tongass old growth is critically important in the production of biological regulation (Person et al 1996), climate regulation (Leighty et al 2006), biodiversity refugia (e.g., Cotter and Kirchoff 2007), and numerous cultural and recreational services. Because it takes centuries to develop the biological characteristics of old growth, the management alternatives in the choice experiment offered the conservation of up to 445,000 acres of old growth scheduled for harvest (all old growth scheduled for harvest).…”