Download or read book Calving Behavior of Boreal Caribou in a Multi predator Multi use Landscape written by Craig Allen DeMars and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The boreal ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is federally listed as Threatened due to population declines throughout its distribution. High mortality rates of neonate calves (≤ 4 weeks old) due to predation are a key demographic factor contributing to population declines and increasing predation has been linked to landscape disturbance within and adjacent to caribou range. To inform management strategies for improving rates of calf survival, I investigated the space use and habitat requirements of female boreal caribou during calving. Space is integral to the calving behaviour of boreal caribou with parturient females dispersing widely on the landscape, a behaviour hypothesized to reduce predation risk. I assessed potential evolutionary drivers of dispersion using simulation analyses that tracked caribou-wolf encounters during the calving season. I specifically assessed whether dispersion decreased predation risk by: (i) increasing predator search time, (ii) reducing predator encounters because individuals are inconspicuous relative to groups, or (iii) eliminating the risk of multiple kills per predator encounter of caribou groups. Simulation outputs show that dispersion only becomes favourable when differential detectability based on group size is combined with the risk of multiple kills per encounter. This latter effect, however, is likely the primary mechanism driving parturient females to disperse because group detectability effects are presumably constant year round. Simulation outputs further demonstrate that if females become increasingly clumped - a pattern that may result if caribou avoid disturbance in highly impacted landscapes - then calf survival is negatively affected. To specifically identify key attributes of calving habitat, I used a three-step process. First, I identified GPS locations where females were accompanied by neonate calves by developing two novel methods for predicting parturition events and neonate survival status based on female movement patterns. These methods predicted parturition with near certainty and provided reasonable estimates of neonate survival, which I further augmented with aerial survey data. Using the partitioned GPS location data, I then developed resource selection functions using a generalized mixed effects modelling approach that explicitly maintained the individual as the sampling and comparative unit. I discriminated calving areas from other areas within caribou range by conducting multiple comparisons based on season and maternal status. These comparisons show that parturient females shifted from bog-dominated winter ranges to calving areas dominated by fens. In general, reducing predation risk was a dominant factor driving calving habitat selection although the shift to fen landscapes indicates that females may be trading off increased predation risk to access higher quality forage because fens are riskier than bogs. As a third step, I explicitly evaluated calving habitat quality by relating maternal selection and use of resources to the probability of neonate survival. These analyses included spatially explicit covariates of predator-specific risk. Surprisingly, variation in landscape disturbance had minimal effect on calf survival; rather, survival was best explained by predation risk from black bears (Ursus americanus). Collectively, my findings yield important insights into the habitat requirements of boreal caribou during calving and highlight that management actions aimed at improving calving habitat quality will need to be conducted at large spatial scales.
Download or read book Calf Survival of Woodland Caribou in a Multi predator Ecosystem written by David D. Gustine and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The proximate role of predation in limiting caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations is well documented, but the long-term effects of predation pressure on selection of calving areas and the subsequent impacts to calving success remain unclear. We examined the relationships among calf survival, predation risk, and vegetation characteristics among 3 calving areas and across spatial scales in the Besa-Prophet River drainage of northern British Columbia"--page 1.
Download or read book Calving Strategies of Woodland Caribou Rangifer Tarandus Caribou in a Multi predator Ecosystem in Northeastern British Columbia written by David D. Gustine and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 4 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Calf survival of woodland caribou in a multi predator ecosystem written by David L. Gustine and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Behavioural Responses of Newfoundland Woodland Caribou to Predator Cues written by Katherine Christina Unger and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insular Newfoundland woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have experienced tremendous population declines since the early 2000s, attributable to density-dependent processes mediated largely by predation. Given the diversity of island predators (black bears, coyotes, lynx and bald eagles), caribou are thought to perceive and react to the different predators in a manner that accordingly minimizes the probability of death and maximizes benefits of fitness-enhancing activities. The presence of predators requires prey species to divert energy resources from foraging and feeding behaviours to vigilance and predator avoidance behaviours. This study was designed to identify and describe caribou behavioural responses to predator encounters. Experimental approach trials (n=137) were employed in the calving region of the Middle Ridge caribou herd (central Newfoundland) in order to simulate different predator visual cues and to elicit corresponding caribou flight responses. Approach trials encompassed the time period when calf mortality by predation is highest. The flight initiation distance of caribou (the distance between approacher and caribou at the moment of initial flight) was found to differ in accordance with the colour of clothing (tan or black) but not the movement mode (walk or crawl) employed by human experimenters. Flight initiation distance was greater in response to black approaches and was greatest during the two week calving period from late May to mid June. There was little evidence that vegetation resources influenced the decision to remain or flee; however this finding may reflect the calving range fidelity of caribou to areas of consistent forage quality. This study yields important findings concerning variation in predator avoidance behaviour of caribou in response to historical i.e., black bear, Ursus americanus) and novel (i.e., coyote, Canis latrans) predators. Differential behavioural responses to predators are particularly important to understand as rapidly growing anthropogenic landscape development and use is leading to increased predator encounters.
Download or read book Canadian Journal of Zoology written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 910 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Quality Whitetails written by Karl V. Miller and published by Stackpole Books. This book was released on 2007 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Top deer biologists and deer hunting authors discuss how and when hunters should harvest bucks and antlerless deer, and how to ensure a better chance of getting that trophy buck.
Download or read book Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition written by Charles T. Robbins and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2013-09-03 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition fills a serious gap in the wildlife and animal nutrition literature by providing a discussion of the basic principles of nutrition and their application to the broader field of wildlife ecology. This book is based on lectures presented in an upper-level wildlife nutrition course taught at Washington State University. The book opens with an introductory chapter on wildlife nutrition. This is followed by separate chapters on general nutrient and energy requirements; protein, water, vitamin, and mineral requirements; impact of nutrition on reproductive characteristics; gastrointestinal anatomy and function; and digestion and nutrient metabolism. The text will be invaluable to wildlife biologists, to those who are interested in captive animal nutrition and management, and to those who are interested in improving the feed supply and nutrition of free-ranging wildlife. It should also be helpful to undergraduate and graduate students as well as teachers of biology and wildlife management. The book will be a useful reference for all who are interested and concerned with wildlife throughout the world.
Download or read book Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification of Non forested Ecosystems in British Columbia written by William H. MacKenzie and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Non-forested ecosystems are an important part of British Columbias landscape and biological diversity. Plant community composition and vegetation structure of these ecosystems stand in contrast to the forests that are typical of much of British Columbia. These non-forested habitats supply critical life history requirements for many plant and animal species.
Download or read book Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan Lagopus Mutus Hyperboreus written by Å.Ø Pedersem and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wildland Fire in Ecosystems written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Distribution and Abundance of Animals written by Herbert George Andrewartha and published by . This book was released on 1954 with total page 782 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Adaptive Herbivore Ecology written by R. Norman Owen-Smith and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-06-27 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique monograph describing plant-herbivore interactions in the context of large African herbivorous mammals.
Download or read book Saskatchewan Fire Regime Analysis written by Marc-André Parisien and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study analyzes the number of forest fires in Saskatchewan, the area burned, the fire cycle, the fire season, causes of fires, potential fire intensity, and the fire climate for two types of ecological units: ecozones & ecoregions. Analyses are performed for all forested ecozones: the boreal plain, the boreal shield, & the taiga shield. For ecoregions, only those of the boreal plain were considered. The analysis is based on 20 years (1981-2000) of fire occurrence (ignition) data, a database of large (over 200 hectare) fires for 1945-2000, and 12 years (1990-2001) of daily fire weather observations. The results reveal contrasts in the fire regime of ecozones & ecoregions and illustrate important variations in the fire regime in both time & space.
Download or read book Foxes Wolves Jackals and Dogs written by Joshua Ross Ginsberg and published by IUCN. This book was released on 1990 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Research Techniques in Animal Ecology written by Luigi Boitani and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2000-06-01 with total page 668 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present biodiversity crisis is rife with opportunities to make important conservation decisions; however, the misuse or misapplication of the methods and techniques of animal ecology can have serious consequences for the survival of species. Still, there have been relatively few critical reviews of methodology in the field. This book provides an analysis of some of the most frequently used research techniques in animal ecology, identifying their limitations and misuses, as well as possible solutions to avoid such pitfalls. In the process, contributors to this volume present new perspectives on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Research Techniques in Animal Ecology is an overarching account of central theoretical and methodological controversies in the field, rather than a handbook on the minutiae of techniques. The editors have forged comprehensive presentations of key topics in animal ecology, such as territory and home range estimates, habitation evaluation, population viability analysis, GIS mapping, and measuring the dynamics of societies. Striking a careful balance, each chapter begins by assessing the shortcomings and misapplications of the techniques in question, followed by a thorough review of the current literature, and concluding with possible solutions and suggested guidelines for more robust investigations.
Download or read book The Regional Impacts of Climate Change written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group II. and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998.
