The Effect of Winter Food on Reproduction in the Arctic Fox, Alopex lagopus: A Field Experiment

Angerbjörn, Anders; Arvidson, Bengt; Norén, Erik; Strömgren, Lasse

doi:10.2307/5307

Cited by 124 publications

(73 citation statements)

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“…Further, this also shows that small mammals are key determinants of population dynamics of arctic foxes even in areas where they have access to seasonally superabundant foods (see Samelius et al in press for similar results). The link between fox abundance and small mammal abundance in the previous year appeared to reflect reproductive output in previous year and follows that of recruitment of young appearing to be a key determinant of arctic fox abundance throughout their range (Macphearson 1969, Angerbjörn et al 1991, Angerbjörn et al 1999. Fluctuations in fox abundance may also reflect variation in survival and dispersal rates (see O'Donoghue et al 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fluctuations in arctic fox numbers appear to be closely related to variation in recruitment of young which, in turn, is highly correlated with food abundance (Macpherson 1969, Angerbjörn et al 1991. In fact, arctic foxes have the largest litter size in the order Carnivora and may have up to 18 pups when foods are abundant (Tannerfeldt and Angerbjörn 1998).…”

Section: Abundance and Demographymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Angerbjörn et al 1995, Kaikusalo and did not find a delay in the numerical response by foxes. The latter studies, however, used breeding density as an estimate of fox abundance and therefore did not sample the non-breeding population which can be considerably larger than the breeding population in years when foods are scarce (Angerbjörn et al 1991 -but see Angerbjörn et al 1999 who found a delay of one year despite including only the breeding population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Variation in these parameters, in turn, appears to be closely related to food abundance and is especially pronounced among arctic foxes that feed predominantly on small mammals (Macpherson 1969. For example, both litter size and breeding propensity by arctic foxes fluctuate widely in relation to food abundance (Angerbjörn et al 1991, Tannerfeldt and Angerbjörn 1998, Strand et al 1999. In fact, arctic foxes have the largest litter size in the order Carnivora and may have up to 18 pups when food is abundant (Tannerfeldt and Angerbjörn 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging Behaviours and Population Dynamics of Arctic Foxes

Samelius¹

2004

ARCTIC

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Northern environments are often characterised by large seasonal and annual fluctuations in food abundance. In this thesis, I examined how arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) used seasonally superabundant foods (geese and their eggs) and how access to these foods influenced population dynamics of arctic foxes. I addressed this against a backdrop of variation in lemming and vole abundance (small mammals hereafter) -the main foods of arctic foxes throughout most of their range. Field work was done at the large goose colony at Karrak Lake and surrounding areas in the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary in Nunavut, Canada, in the spring and summers of 2000 to 2004.Behavioural observations of individually-marked arctic foxes showed that they took and cached 2,000-3,000 eggs per fox each year and that the rate at which they took eggs was largely unrelated to individual attributes of foxes (e.g. sex, size, and breeding status) and nesting distribution of geese. Further, the rate at which foxes took eggs varied considerably within individuals in that foxes were efficient at taking eggs at times and inefficient at other times. This may have resulted from foxes switching between foraging actively and taking eggs opportunistically while performing other demands such as territorial behaviours.Comparison of stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) of fox tissues and those of their foods showed that the contribution of cached eggs to arctic fox diets was inversely related to collared lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus) abundance. In fact, the contribution of cached eggs to overall fox diets increased from <28% in years when collared lemmings were abundant to 30-74% in years when collared lemmings were scarce. Furthermore, arctic foxes used cached eggs well into the following spring (almost 1 year after eggs were acquired) -a pattern which differs from that of carnivores generally storing foods for only a few days before consumption.A field-study of experimental caches showed that survival rate of these caches was related to age of cache sites in the first year of the study (e.g. 0.80 and 0.56 per 18-day period for caches from new and 1 month old cache sites, respectively) and departure by geese after hatch in the second year of the study (e.g. 0.98 and 0.74 per 18-day period during and after goose nesting, respectively). Food abundance and deterioration of cache sites (e.g. loss of soil cover and partial exposure of caches) were, iii thus, important factors affecting cache loss at Karrak Lake. Further, annual variation in the importance of these factors suggests that strategies to prevent cache loss are not fixed in time but vary with existing conditions. Evolution of caching behaviours by arctic foxes may, thus, have been shaped by multiple selective pressures.Comparisons of reproductive output and abundance of arctic foxes inside and outside the goose colony at Karrak Lake showed that (i) breeding density and fox abundance were 2-3 times higher inside the colony than they were outside the colony and (ii) litter size, breeding dens...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Abundance and Demographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging Behaviours and Population Dynamics of Arctic Foxes

Samelius¹

2004

ARCTIC

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“…We used occupancy modelling, which uses repeated presence-absence survey data to estimate detectability and space use patterns, to test predictions about the effects of these bottom-up and abiotic factors on mesocarnivore populations (MacKenzie et al 2002). Food abundance during winter months has been shown to strongly impact the reproductive success of some mesocarnivores (Angerbjörn et al 1991;Persson 2005). Climate change is predicted to have especially strong effects on winter conditions in Alaska, with major impacts on snow characteristics (SNAP 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable effects of snow conditions across boreal mesocarnivore species

et al. 2016

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This is an author-produced, peer-reviewed version of this article. The final, definitive version of this document can be found online at AbstractMesocarnivores are increasingly recognized as key drivers of community dynamics, but the effects of bottom-up and abiotic factors on mesocarnivore populations remain poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of snow conditions, prey abundance, and habitat type on the distribution of five sympatric mesocarnivore species in interior Alaska using repeated snow track surveys and occupancy modelling. Snow depth and snow compaction were the best predictors of mesocarnivore occupancy, with differential effects across species. Coyotes (Canis latrans (Say, 1823)) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes L., 1758) occurred in areas of shallow, compact snow, Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis (Kerr, 1792)) occurred in areas of shallow, fluffy snow, and wolverines (Gulo gulo L., 1758) and marten (Martes americana (Turton, 1806)) occurred in areas of deep, fluffy snow. These findings indicate that altered snow conditions due to climate change may have strong direct effects on the distribution of northern mesocarnivores, with divergent effects across species.

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Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

Inagaki

Allen

Maruyama

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Scavenging is a common feeding behavior by many species that plays an important role in ecosystem stability and function while also providing ecosystem services. Despite its importance, facultative scavenging on large animal carcasses has generally been overlooked in Asian temperate forest ecosystems. The aim of this study was to determine the composition and feeding behavior of the facultative scavenger guild as it relates to sika deer (Cervus nippon) carcasses in Japanese forests. There are no obligate scavengers or large predators that kill adult ungulates, but humans fill the role of large predators by culling deer for population management. We documented nine vertebrate species scavenging on deer carcasses and found that mammals were more frequent scavengers than birds and also fed for longer durations. This result suggests that there is a facultative scavenger guild composed mainly of mammals in our forest ecosystem and that carcass utilization by birds was restricted to only forest species. Raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus) were the most frequent scavenger species and also fed for longer durations than other scavengers. There were significant seasonal differences in scavenging by Asian black bear, Japanese marten (Martes melampus), and mountain hawk‐eagle (Nisaetus nipalensis), suggesting the availability of other food resources may alter facultative scavenging by each species. Our results support that scavenging is widespread in this system and likely has important functions including building links in the food web.

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The Effect of Winter Food on Reproduction in the Arctic Fox, Alopex lagopus: A Field Experiment

Cited by 124 publications

References 10 publications

Foraging Behaviours and Population Dynamics of Arctic Foxes

Foraging Behaviours and Population Dynamics of Arctic Foxes

Variable effects of snow conditions across boreal mesocarnivore species

Vertebrate scavenger guild composition and utilization of carrion in an East Asian temperate forest

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