Wolf Reproduction in Response to Caribou Migration and Industrial Development on the Central Barrens of Mainland Canada

Frame, Paul F.; Cluff, H. Dean; Hik, David S.

doi:10.14430/arctic18

Cited by 7 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The links between the behaviour and ecology of tundra wolves and the distribution of barren-ground caribou have been well established (Parker 1973, Williams 1990, Heard and Williams 1992, Walton et al 2001, Frame et al 2008, Hansen et al 2013). Thus, I defined resource availability for den selection as the area occupied by caribou from 01 April to 30…”

Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During this interval, pregnant female wolves undergo long-distance migrations from the boreal forest to the tundra, select a den site, and restrict their movements within a summer territory (Walton et al 2001, Frame et al 2008). The area of availability for wolf dens was identified as the 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) calculated from the locations o f satellite-and GPS-collared caribou for each year of the study (Appendix A).…”

Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heard, unpublished data;D. Cluff, unpublished data), but previous studies and incidental sightings of wolves report that the majority of wolves den on the caribou summer range, closer to treeline, in the Northwest Territories (Figure 2; Heard and Williams 1992, Walton et al 2001, Frame et al 2008. I quantified resource availability using 5 random sites per den selected within the merged 95% MCP for caribou range during the year o f the den survey.…”

Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pups are bom between mid-May and early-June and remain within close proximity of the den until midSeptember when they are old enough to travel with the pack (Frame et al 2008). Adult wolves generally remain in close proximity to their pups from late-May to early-September (wolf denning period) leaving occasionally to hunt for prey (Williams 1990, Walton et al 2001, Frame et al 2004).…”

Section: Chapter 1: Thesis Introduction Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Alternative prey, such as moose (AIces alces) or muskoxen (Ovibos moshatus), are scarce in this region, resulting in a landscape with a low density of prey during a significant portion of the denning period. Past studies suggest that wolves select den sites where they can optimize the availability o f caribou during the denning period; these areas include major migration routes (Clark 1971, Kuyt 1972, Frame et al 2008 or near treeline, where caribou are more abundant in September (Banfield 1954, Kelsall 1968, Heard and Williams 1992.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Klaczek¹

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Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chapter 1: Thesis Introduction Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Klaczek¹

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Wolf-caribou dynamics within the central Canadian Arctic

2016

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The severity of recent declines of barren‐ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) across the central Canadian Arctic has led to harvest restrictions and concerns about population recovery. Wolves (Canis lupus) are the main predator of barren‐ground caribou; however, the extent that wolves influence the decline and recovery of caribou herds is unknown. Such uncertainty confounds management responses (e.g., reducing harvest, predator control). We investigated wolf–caribou dynamics on the summer range of barren‐ground caribou in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada (i.e., Bathurst caribou herd). Our primary objective was to test for a numerical response of wolves to changes in the abundance and spatial distribution of caribou. Caribou experienced a >90% decline in abundance over the study period (1996–2014). Using long‐term data sets (1996–2012), we developed regression models to investigate relationships between abundance indices of wolves and range‐use patterns of caribou. We monitored the movements of adult female wolves fitted with global positioning system (GPS) collars representing individual packs throughout the 2013 and 2014 denning periods. We also investigated pup recruitment, an index of population decline, at a time of low caribou abundance. Finally, we developed a series of stochastic population models to understand how pup recruitment influenced wolf densities on the Bathurst range over the period of caribou decline. As caribou abundance decreased, the late‐summer distribution of the Bathurst herd contracted toward the calving ground. These movements correlated with low rates of wolf pup recruitment and high den abandonment, suggesting a regulatory mechanism whereby wolf reproductive success was limited by the low availability of caribou within the denning areas. Furthermore, these data suggested a numerical response, where wolf densities decreased as caribou numbers declined. In 2014, wolf density was estimated at <4 wolves/1,000 km2. Our results suggest that these wolves exhibited a relatively strong numerical response to a single, declining prey base. Given the continued decline in the Bathurst caribou herd, the tundra wolf population on the Bathurst range has likely declined below our 2014 estimate. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

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Den shifting by wolves in semi‐wild landscapes in the Deccan Plateau, Maharashtra, India

Habib

Kumar

2007

Journal of Zoology

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Reproductive success is crucial for the survival and persistence of any species. The Deccan Biogeographic Zone of India is the stronghold of a population of the Indian wolf Canis lupus pallipes. Gaining a better understanding of the den-use pattern of wolves in different areas in this zone is thus vital for their conservation and management. The wolves excavated multiple dens in our study sites and kept shifting their litters among them. Major disturbance factors around denning sites were active stone quarries, traffic, crop harvesting and livestock movement. One wolf pack used 14 dens in four breeding seasons. Discriminant function analysis indicated that den shifting by wolves was not entirely governed by disturbance levels at den sites. Increasing age of pups was one of the main factors associated with den shifting rather than the magnitude of disturbance (w 2 = 34.26, d.f. = 12, Po0.001). Tolerance to disturbance around dens during the early stages of pup development was negatively correlated (r =À0.519, Po0.05) with availability of water and age of pups (r =À0.613, Po0.01). Excavation of multiple dens by wolves was apparently related to den shifting, which seemingly is a survival strategy of wolves in these semi-wild human-dominated landscapes in the Deccan Biogeographic Zone. Principal components analysis indicated that during the initial stages of pup development, nature of the land, den orientation and distance of the den from roads were important cues in addition to age category of pups for den shifting. The analysis also suggested that factors such as distance of the new den where pups are to be transferred, distance from water source and availability of fox Vulpes bengalensis holes for den use were also important.

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Wolf Reproduction in Response to Caribou Migration and Industrial Development on the Central Barrens of Mainland Canada

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Wolf-caribou dynamics within the central Canadian Arctic

Den shifting by wolves in semi‐wild landscapes in the Deccan Plateau, Maharashtra, India

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