Unsuspected mobility of Arctic hares revealed by longest journey ever recorded in a lagomorph

Lai, Sandra; Desjardins, Émilie; Caron-Carrier, Jacob; Couchoux, Charline; Vézina, François; Tam, Andrew; Koutroulides, Nathan; Berteaux, Dominique

doi:10.1002/ecy.3620

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…They inhabit boreal regions of North America, covered by taiga or tundra type of vegetation, and having a deep snow cover during the winter. These factors hamper both fast locomotion and maneuverability, although the Arctic hare is known for its endurance to cover long distances (Lai et al, 2022). In the case of Megalagus , the reconstructed environment of the early Oligocene Brule Formation indicates open woodland habitat with abundant bushes and restricted grassy and herbaceous openings (Hutchinson, 1989; Leopold et al, 1992; Retallack, 1983), which would have been similar to the habitat of extant Lepus americanus .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locomotor behavior and hearing sensitivity in an early lagomorph reconstructed from the bony labyrinth

López‐Torres

Bhagat

Bertrand

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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The structure of the bony labyrinth is highly informative with respect to locomotor agility (semicircular canals [SCC]) and hearing sensitivity (cochlear and oval windows).Here, we reconstructed the agility and hearing sensitivity of the stem lagomorph Megalagus turgidus from the early Oligocene of the Brule Formation of Nebraska (USA). Megalagus has proportionally smaller SCCs with respect to its body mass compared with most extant leporids but within the modern range of variability, suggesting that it was less agile than most of its modern relatives. A level of agility for Megalagus within the range of modern rabbits is consistent with the evidence from postcranial elements. The hearing sensitivity for Megalagus is in the range of extant lagomorphs for both low-and high-frequency sounds. Our data show that by the early Oligocene stem lagomorphs had already attained fundamentally rabbit-like hearing sensitivity and locomotor behavior, even though Megalagus was not a particularly agile lagomorph. This is likely because Megalagus was more of a woodland dweller than an open-habitat runner. The study of sensory evolution in Lagomorpha is practically unknown, and these results provide first advances in understanding the primitive stages for the order and how the earliest members of this clade perceived their environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locomotor behavior and hearing sensitivity in an early lagomorph reconstructed from the bony labyrinth

López‐Torres

Bhagat

Bertrand

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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“…We know of no instance of adult dispersal in mammals that is characterized by such frequency of occurrence and such synchronicity. Although several hare species have been tracked, recorded movements do not usually exceed a few tens of kilometers, and adult movements do not occur massively and do not present such synchronicity 58 . Second, migrations are highly directional movements 59 , as observed in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-distance, synchronized and directional fall movements suggest migration in Arctic hares on Ellesmere Island (Canada)

Caron-Carrier

Lai

Vézina

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Animal migration contributes largely to the seasonal dynamics of High Arctic ecosystems, linking distant habitats and impacting ecosystem structure and function. In polar deserts, Arctic hares are abundant herbivores and important components of food webs. Their annual migrations have long been suspected, but never confirmed. We tracked 25 individuals with Argos satellite telemetry to investigate the existence of migration in a population living at Alert (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada). During fall, 21 hares undertook directional, long-distance movements in a southwestern direction towards Lake Hazen. Daily movement rates averaged 1.3 ± 0.5 km, 4.3 ± 1.6 km, and 1.7 ± 0.9 km before, during, and after relocation, respectively. Straight-line and minimum cumulative distances traveled averaged 98 ± 18 km (range: 72–148 km) and 198 ± 62 km (range: 113–388 km), respectively. This is the first report of large-scale seasonal movements in Arctic hares and, surprisingly, in any lagomorph species. These movements may be part of an annual migratory pattern. Our results redefine our understanding of the spatial ecology of Arctic hares, demonstrate unsuspected mobility capacities in lagomorphs, and open new perspectives regarding the ecological dynamics of the northern polar deserts.

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“…Although techniques such as bird ringing, birdwatching, or whale watching do deliver findings about migration timing and major routes, they do not typically allow researchers to follow in detail exactly how, when and where migratory animals travel. Tracking technology, by providing detailed, long-term observations of animal's movements, have revealed startling insights about distances travelled and routes taken by migratory and even non-migratory animals (e.g., Houstin et al, 2022;Lai et al, 2022). In addition to simply enhancing the ability to observe travelling animals, tracking devices also produce data that can be readily correlated with meteorological, environmental and other sources of data.…”

Section: A Data Rich Disciplinementioning

confidence: 99%

How tracking technology is transforming animal ecology: epistemic values, interdisciplinarity, and technology-driven scientific change

Trappes

2023

Synthese

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Tracking technology has been heralded as transformative for animal ecology. In this paper I examine what changes are taking place, showing how current animal movement research is a field ripe for philosophical investigation. I focus first on how the devices alter the limitations and biases of traditional field observation, making observation of animal movement and behaviour possible in more detail, for more varied species, and under a broader variety of conditions, as well as restricting the influence of human presence and observer bias. I reconstruct these as shifts in scope, objectivity, accuracy and fruitfulness. The second transformation is slightly less obvious but equally significant for animal ecology. Tracking devices generate complex data that demands both statistical and biological expertise, which has led to increasingly frequent and intensive collaborations between statisticians and biologists. Based on interviews, I examine how researchers in these interdisciplinary collaborations negotiate the collection, analysis and interpretation of movement data, integrating research interests, methodological constraints, previous field observations, and background theory. Tracking technology is therefore also shifting which disciplinary considerations are brought to bear on research into animal movement and behaviour and how this research is conducted.

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Unsuspected mobility of Arctic hares revealed by longest journey ever recorded in a lagomorph

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Locomotor behavior and hearing sensitivity in an early lagomorph reconstructed from the bony labyrinth

Locomotor behavior and hearing sensitivity in an early lagomorph reconstructed from the bony labyrinth

Long-distance, synchronized and directional fall movements suggest migration in Arctic hares on Ellesmere Island (Canada)

How tracking technology is transforming animal ecology: epistemic values, interdisciplinarity, and technology-driven scientific change

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