Winter Foraging Ecology of Woodland Caribou in Northeastern Washington

Rominger, Eric M.; Robbins, Charles T.; Evans, Marc A.

doi:10.2307/3802370

Cited by 73 publications

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“…Additional comparisons between tame and wild animals showed that they had equivalent forage preferences and foraging efficiencies (Spalinger et al 1997). Earlier work with tame caribou during winter in southeastern BC established the plausibility of using tame caribou as a habitat assessment tool (Rominger et al 1996). However, late-autumn and winter foraging studies of caribou probably are not representative of selection from a more abundant and variable forage base during summer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, it was suggested that high year-round use of lichens may even be a bottom-up limiting factor for caribou populations in the boreal forest (Thompson et al 2015) because of low protein (nitrogen) content (Boertje 1990;Storeheier et al 2002). In addition to dietary protein limitations, low lichen availability can limit caribou, preventing them from achieving per-minute intake rates necessary to satisfy daily intake requirements (Rominger et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

Denryter

Cook

et al. 2017

Can. J. Zool.

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High-quality habitats for caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) are associated primarily with lichens, but lichens alone fail to satisfy summer nutritional requirements. To evaluate the summer forage value of plant communities across northeastern British Columbia (BC), where populations of northern and boreal ecotypes of caribou are declining, we observed foraging by tame, female caribou. We compared diet composition with forage abundance to determine forage selection and to quantify forage availability. Deciduous shrubs, not lichens, largely dominated summer diets. Caribou were highly selective foragers, with 28 species comprising 78% of diets. Caribou avoided ≥50% of understory vegetation in all communities, especially conifers, evergreen shrubs, mosses, and two genera of terrestrial lichens. Availability of accepted forage (species not avoided) was strongly heterogeneous across landscapes. Alpine shrub areas and mid-elevation spruce-fir stands in the mountains, as well as treed rich fens and white spruce communities in the boreal forests, provided the greatest quantities of accepted forage for caribou. Dry alpine sites and unproductive black spruce communities provided the least accepted forage. Our work has direct implications to caribou conservation by contributing to a greater understanding of the forage value of summer habitats, with implications to habitat selection, seasonal movements, and distribution ecology.Key words: Rangifer tarandus caribou, woodland caribou, diet composition, alpine, boreal forest, food selection, foraging.Résumé : Si les habitats de grande qualité pour le caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) sont principalement associés aux lichens, ces derniers seuls ne peuvent satisfaire aux besoins alimentaires estivaux des caribous. Afin d'évaluer la valeur comme fourrage des communautés de plantes dans le nord-est de la Colombie-Britannique (C.-B.), où les populations des écotypes nordique et boréal de caribous sont en baisse, nous avons observé l'approvisionnement de caribous femelles apprivoisés. Nous avons comparé la composition du régime alimentaire à l'abondance de fourrage afin de déterminer quels types de fourrage sont sélectionnés et de quantifier la disponibilité de fourrage. Les arbustes feuillus, et non les lichens, constituaient une portion prépondérante des régimes alimentaires estivaux. Les caribous s'approvisionnaient de manière très sélective, 28 espèces constituant 78 % de leurs régimes alimentaires. Les caribous évitaient ≥50 % de la végétation du sous-bois dans toutes les communautés, particulièrement les arbres et arbustes conifères, les mousses et deux genres de lichens terrestres. La disponibilité de fourrages acceptés (espèces non évitées) était très hétérogène dans les différents paysages. Les zones arbustives alpines et les peuplements d'épinettes et de sapins d'élévation moyenne dans les montagnes, ainsi que les tourbières boisées riches et les communautés d'épinettes blanches dans les forêts boréales offraient les plus grandes quantités de fourrage ac...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

Denryter

Cook

et al. 2017

Can. J. Zool.

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“…Cladina is most abundant in the coniferous belt of the Northern Hemisphere and because it covers large portions of northern areas it forms the main source of winter food for northern caribou and reindeer (Rominger et al, 1996). The widespread success of Cladina might be explained by the adaptive potential of the lichens, which is reflected in the level of genetic diversity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and genetic polymorphism in two North American reindeer lichens: Cladonia arbuscula and C. rangiferina

Athukorala

Doering²,

Piercey‐Normore

2016

Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.)

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Cladonia arbuscula and C. rangiferina are two reindeer lichen species, which are widely distributed in northern climates and have not been shown to be monophyletic. The wide species distribution may suggest an outcrossing reproductive life style, which may contribute to paraphyly and success of these two species. The current study examined the genetic diversity of mycobiont ascospore colonies within and between apothecia of two species, C. rangiferina and C. arbuscula s. l. using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR. It also estimated gene flow, morphological variability, and colony growth rates. Cladonia rangiferina showed higher rates of growth than C. arbuscula but C. arbuscula showed more variability in growth between apothecia than C. rangiferina. Both species showed levels of genetic variation within and among apothecia that was consistent with heterothallism and recombination. AMOVA analyses provided evidence for gene flow among apothecia in both species. It further hypothesized that higher genetic variation in C. arbuscula than in C. rangiferina may give C. arbuscula an adaptive advantage over C. rangiferina.

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“…almost exclusively on arboreal lichen, particularly late in winter (mid January to mid April) when deep snow (1-4 m) covers all terrestrial foods (Rominger & Oldemeyer, 1989, 1990Seip, 1992;Rominger et al, 1996). Mountain caribou are confronted with at least 2 management challenges: First, unsustainable predation has recently been the major factor causing population declines (Wittmer et al, 2005a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada

Serrouya¹,

McLellan²,

Apps³

et al. 2008

Ran

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Mountain caribou are an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) that live in highprecipitation, mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia and northern Idaho. The distribution and abundance of these caribou have declined dramatically from historical figures. Results from many studies have indicated that mountain caribou rely on old conifer forests for several life-history requirements including an abundance of their primary winter food, arboreal lichen, and a scarcity of other ungulates and their predators. These old forests often have high timber value, and understanding mountain caribou ecology at a variety of spatial scales is thus required to develop effective conservation strategies. Here we summarize results of studies conducted at three different spatial scales ranging from broad limiting factors at the population level to studies describing the selection of feeding sites within seasonal home ranges of individuals. The goal of this multi-scale review is to provide a more complete picture of caribou ecology and to determine possible shifts in limiting factors across scales. Our review produced two important results. First, mountain caribou select old forests and old trees at all spatial scales, signifying their importance for foraging opportunities as well as conditions required to avoid alternate ungulates and their predators. Second, relationships differ across scales. For example, landscapes dominated by roads and edges negatively affect caribou survival, but appear to attract caribou during certain times of the year. This juxtaposition of fine-scale behaviour with broad-scale vulnerability to predation could only be identified through integrated multi-scale analyses of resource selection. Consequently we suggest that effective management strategies for endangered species require an integrative approach across multiple spatial scales to avoid a focus that may be too narrow to maintain viable populations.

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Winter Foraging Ecology of Woodland Caribou in Northeastern Washington

Cited by 73 publications

References 0 publications

Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets

Morphological and genetic polymorphism in two North American reindeer lichens: Cladonia arbuscula and C. rangiferina

A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada

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