Scale-dependent microhabitat selection by threatened mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in cedar–hemlock forests during winter

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1082-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Serrouya ◽  
Bruce N. McLellan ◽  
John P. Flaa
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Coniferous Forests ◽  
Microhabitat Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Conservation Measures

Mountain caribou, an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou Gmelin, 1788), live in late-successional coniferous forests where they depend largely on arboreal lichens as winter forage. While radio-telemetry has been used to understand caribou habitat selection patterns at broad scales among and within populations, here we use snow-trailing in old cedar–hemlock forests between 1992 and 2003 to study three finer scales of habitat selection: (1) forest stands used for foraging from available forest stands (among-stand selection), (2) foraging paths within selected stands relative to random paths within those same stands (within-stand selection), and (3) feeding items along foraging paths. Relative to stands that were available on the landscape, caribou selected stands with more windthrown trees and standing snags. Within stands, caribou selected paths that had more live trees, snags with branches and bark, and trees with larger diameters. All of these habitat attributes facilitate access to arboreal lichen. Of the potential forage items encountered along foraging paths, caribou preferred to feed on windthrown trees, lichen litterfall and falsebox ( Paxistima myrsinites (Pursh.) Raf.). Our results go beyond telemetry studies by revealing that not all old forests are of equal value to mountain caribou. Prioritization among old stands will help refine conservation measures, as will silvicultural systems that incorporate key habitat attributes to maintain winter habitat in low-elevation cedar–hemlock ecosystems.

scholarly journals Movement pathways and habitat selection by woodland caribou during spring migration

Rangifer ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Joanne Saher ◽  
Fiona K.A. Schmiegelow
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
System Data ◽  
Primary Focus ◽  
Migratory Movements

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are a threatened species throughout Canada. Special management is therefore required to ensure habitat needs are met, particularly because much of their current distribution is heavily influenced by resource extraction activities. Although winter habitat is thought to be limiting and is the primary focus of conservation efforts, maintaining connectivity between summer and winter ranges has received little attention. We used global positioning system data from an interprovincial, woodland caribou herd to define migratory movements on a relatively pristine range. Non-linear models indicated that caribou movement during migration was punctuated; caribou traveled for some distance (movement phase) followed by a pause (resting/foraging phase). We then developed resource selection functions (RSFs), using case-controlled logistic regression, to describe resting/foraging sites and movement sites, at the landscape scale. The RSFs indicated that caribou traveled through areas that were less rugged and closer to water than random and that resting/foraging sites were associated with older forests that have a greater component of pine, and are further from water than were random available locations. This approach to analyzing animal location data allowed us to identify two patterns of habitat selection (travel and foraging/resting) for caribou during the migratory period. Resultant models are important tools for land use planning to ensure that connectivity between caribou summer and winter ranges is maintained.

scholarly journals Examining the role of terrestrial lichen transplants in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat

2017 ◽  
Vol 93 (03) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean B. Rapai ◽  
Duncan McColl ◽  
Richard Troy McMullin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Transplant Program ◽  
Restoration Techniques ◽  
Terrestrial Lichen

The development of habitat restoration techniques for restoring critical woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) winter habitat will play an important role in meeting the management thresholds in woodland caribou recovery plans. The goal is to restore disturbed environments within critical winter habitat for the declining woodland caribou. Woodland caribou are diet specialists, utilizing lichen-rich habitat for forage during winter months. Cladonia sub-genus Cladina is the most frequently eaten species during this time. Herein, we provide: 1) A review of previously used methods for transplanting Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and their feasibility in restoring woodland caribou winter habitat; 2) A stepby- step protocol on how to carry out a terrestrial lichen transplant program (using Cladonia sub-genus Cladina and C. uncialis); and, 3) An evaluation of our protocol through the establishment of a case study in northern British Columbia. Our results indicate that transplanting C. sub-genus Cladina fragments is the most efficient technique for transplanting terrestrial lichen communities, but transplanting lichen ‘patches’ or ‘mats’ may also be effective.

Habitat selection and spatial relationships of black bears (Ursus americanus) with woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in northeastern Alberta

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.D.M. Latham ◽  
M.C. Latham ◽  
M.S. Boyce
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Spatial Relationships ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Northeastern Alberta

Populations of woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) have declined across much of their range. Wolves ( Canis lupus L., 1758) are believed to be responsible for the majority of mortality in adult female caribou; however, we hypothesize that other predators such as black bears ( Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) may be important contributors to calf mortality. We assessed habitat selection by black bears and spatial relationships of caribou – black bears during the caribou calving season in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Black bears avoided bogs and fens, while selecting upland mixed woods and various industrial features. Conversely, caribou showed strong selection for bogs and fens relative to bears, supporting the hypothesis that caribou in the boreal forest attempt to minimize predation risk by selecting peatlands to avoid areas frequented by predators. However, habitat selection by individual black bears was highly variable and some bears selected habitats similar to those selected by caribou, i.e., bogs and fens. Bears that specialize on foraging in peatlands might be responsible for some of the predation on caribou calves. Because declines in caribou populations have resulted from a combination of high adult female and calf mortalities, management actions to conserve woodland caribou should consider the entire suite of potential predators rather than focusing only on wolves.

Responses of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to clear-cutting in east-central Newfoundland

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony E. Chubbs ◽  
Lloyd B. Keith ◽  
Shane P. Mahoney ◽  
Michael J. McGrath
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
East Central ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Summer Range ◽  
Selection Of

Movements, sex and age structure, and habitat selection of adult woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) were examined in relation to clear-cutting on summer range in east-central Newfoundland during 1987 – 1990. We obtained 2473 locations of 35 radio-collared caribou during at least two consecutive summers. Locations relative to clearcuts were determined for eight males and 27 females. Distances to existing clearcuts were compared with distances to those same geographic points prior to and following the summer in which clear-cutting occurred. Four males and 10 females maintained similar mean distances from clearcuts, 3 males and 12 females were farther away, and 2 females were closer. Three other females and one male were assumed to be too distant to be affected by clear-cutting. Of those found farther away from clearcuts, females were 2 – 3 times farther away than males. Among female caribou that maintained similar mean distances to clearcuts, habitat use during clear-cutting was similar to that before and afterwards. Females displaced by clear-cutting avoided open burns and hardwoods and selected mature black-spruce forest, whereas prior to cutting they used habitats in proportion to their availability. Sex and age ratios indicated that significantly fewer females and calves were present near clearcuts than elsewhere in the study area. Our results demonstrate that clear-cutting mature forests on summer range may affect the movements and distribution of woodland caribou.

scholarly journals The distribution and movement patterns of four woodland caribou herds in Quebec and Labrador

Rangifer ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. K. Brown ◽  
J. Huot ◽  
P. Lamothe ◽  
S. Luttich ◽  
M. Paré ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Seasonal Movements ◽  
Wetland Habitat ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
Aerial Surveys ◽  
Continuous Range

<p>Recent studies of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in northern Quebec and central Labrador have demonstrated similar patterns of seasonal movements and distribution among four herds. Aerial surveys and radio-telemetry indicated that animals occupied forest-wetland habitat at densities of 0.03 caribou km2, or lower, for most of the year. Although females were widely dispersed at calving individuals demonstrated fidelity toward specific calving locations, in successive years. Caribou did not form large post-calving aggregations. Movement was greatest in the spring, prior to calving, and in the fall, during or immediately after rutting. Caribou were generally sedentary during summer and winter, although some moved relatively long distances to late-winter range. Although the herds occupy continuous range across Quebec and Labrador, our data indicate that the herds are largely discreete and should be managed individually.</p>

scholarly journals Can woodland caribou and the forest industry coexist: The Ontario scene

Rangifer ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald D. Racey ◽  
K. Abraham ◽  
W. R. Darby ◽  
H. R. Timmermann ◽  
Q. Day
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Forest Industry ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Timber Management ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Management Guidelines

Ontario is in the process of developing a strategy to improve the likelihood of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) and the forest industry coexisting in the province. This strategy is described within a set of proposed Timber Management Guidelines for the Provision of Woodland Caribou Habitat. The proposed guidelines advocate managing for large blocks of suitable winter habitat across caribou range, large cutovers to regenerate caribou winter habitat and the protection of traditional calving areas and travel routes. Summer habitat will be provided by the resulting mosaic. The forest industry can provide a sustainable supply of woodland caribou habitat that was traditionally maintained by wildfire.

Seeking sanctuary: the neonatal calving period among central mountain woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (12) ◽  
pp. 837-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. Nobert ◽  
S. Milligan ◽  
G.B. Stenhouse ◽  
L. Finnegan
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Seismic Line ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Movement Rates

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) populations have declined throughout their range. With the goal of better understanding habitat selection and fidelity during the neonatal calving period (0–4 weeks), we applied a noninvasive method that estimates calving events and subsequent survival based on changes in movement rates among GPS-collared female caribou. We examined a long-term GPS-collar data set (1998–2014) collected from 81 adult female caribou in two central mountain herds in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Although we were unable to validate our results with aerial surveys and pregnancy tests, our estimates of parturition rates, survival rates, calving dates, and habitat selection were consistent with previous studies. We identified 83 calving sites. Female caribou selected calving sites and postparturition habitat on high-elevation ridgetops with gradual slopes and avoided anthropogenic linear features. Female caribou displayed low fidelity to interannual calving ranges with a mean distance of 8.7 km between calving ranges. Fidelity was lower in areas with high seismic-line density. Conservation of high-elevation habitat with limited anthropogenic disturbance is likely to provide the greatest benefit to central mountain caribou during the neonatal calving period, and represents a potential management strategy for population recovery efforts.

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