Winter habitat use and responses to snow cover of fisher (Martes pennanti) and marten (Martes americana) in southeastern Manitoba

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Raine
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Martes Americana ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Martes Pennanti ◽  
Equal Frequency ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Body Drag

A trailing study of fisher (Martes pennanti) and marten (Martes americana) in the boreal forest of Manitoba, conducted over two winters, showed that both species preferred coniferous ridges. They also had temporal differences in their habitat use that could be partially explained by their different responses to soft snow cover. Movements of fisher were found to be restricted by the soft, thick snow cover that was present during midwinter. Fewer tracks were observed at that time, and fisher travelled upon snowshoe hare trails and their own trails more than in either the early winter period of thin snow cover or the late winter period of crust conditions. Fisher were also found to walk through the snow cover and leave a body drag in midwinter. Marten did not appear to be hindered by soft snow cover to the degree that fisher were. Marten tracks were encountered with equal frequency throughout the winter and marten never left a body drag in the snow cover. They did travel upon hare trails and their own trails to a greater extent in midwinter, but never as much as did fisher.

scholarly journals Late-winter habitat use by the Fisher, Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777), in the Boreal Plains Ecozone of northwestern Saskatchewan, Canada

2014 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert Proulx
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Larix Laricina ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Boreal Plains ◽  
Pekania Pennanti ◽  
Crown Closure

Late-winter habitat use by the Fisher, Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777) in northwestern Saskatchewan was assessed in February 2009, 2011, and 2012. A total of 78 Fisher tracks were recorded over 60 300 m of snowshoe surveys. Fisher tracks were significantly less frequent than expected in Tamarack (Larix laricina [Du Roi] K. Koch) stands with > 40% crown closure and mainly 0–10 m trees (P < 0.05) and in open areas. Fishers used other habitat types equal to availability, including muskeg and coniferous, mixed, and deciduous forest stands. Maintaining mosaics of forest stands of different seral stages interspersed with muskeg would meet the late-winter habitat needs of Fishers in the Boreal Plains Ecozone of northwestern Saskatchewan.

scholarly journals Winter Habitat Use by Moose, Alces alces, in Central Interior British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. 186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert Proulx ◽  
Rhonda M. Kariz
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Alces Alces ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Stands

In central British Columbia, recent epidemics of Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) have resulted in the use of expansive clearcut areas to remove infested mature and old Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) stands. This study aimed to determine if Moose (Alces alces) use late-successional Lodgepole Pine stands in mid- to late-winter. Moose activity and habitat use was determined during February-March track surveys in 2000 (60 km) and 2001 (55.7 km). In 2000 (69 tracks) and 2001 (313 tracks), Moose track distribution differed significantly (P < 0.05) from random. They were significantly more abundant than predicted in young stands (dominated by Picea spp.), or early seral stages; they were less abundant than predicted in mature and old Lodgepole Pine stands. It is unlikely that harvesting late-successional Lodgepole Pine stands would affect Moose winter habitat supply.

scholarly journals Long-term monitoring reveals topographical features and vegetation explain winter habitat use of an Arctic rodent

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xaver von Beckerath ◽  
Gita Benadi ◽  
Olivier Gilg ◽  
Benoît Sittler ◽  
Glenn Yannic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates

AbstractCollapsing lemming cycles have been observed across the Arctic, presumably due to global warming creating less favorable winter conditions. The quality of wintering habitats, such as depth of snow cover, plays a key role in sustaining population dynamics of arctic lemmings. However, few studies so far investigated habitat use during the arctic winter. Here, we used a unique long-term time series to test whether lemmings are associated with topographical and vegetational habitat features for their winter refugi. We examined yearly numbers and distribution of 22,769 winter nests of the collared lemming Dicrostonyx groenlandicus from an ongoing long-term research on Traill Island, Northeast Greenland, collected between 1989 and 2019, and correlated this information with data on dominant vegetation types, elevation and slope. We specifically asked if lemming nests were more frequent at sites with preferred food plants such as Dryas octopetala x integrifolia and at sites with increased snow cover. We found that the number of lemming nests was highest in areas with a high proportion of Dryas heath, but also correlated with other vegetation types which suggest some flexibility in resource use of wintering lemmings. Conversely, they showed a distinct preference for sloped terrain, probably as it enhances the formation of deep snow drifts which increases the insulative characteristics of the snowpack and protection from predators. With global warming, prime lemming winter habitats may become scarce through alteration of snow physical properties, potentially resulting in negative consequence for the whole community of terrestrial vertebrates.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Early-Winter Caribou, Rangifer tarandus caribou, Feeding Sites in the Southern Purcell Mountains, British Columbia

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor A. Kinley ◽  
John Bergenske ◽  
Julie-Anne Davies ◽  
David Quinn
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Subalpine Forest ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Winter Habitat

Mountain Caribou are a rare ecotype of Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) inhabiting the high-snowfall region of southeastern British Columbia, and are defined by their late-winter reliance on arboreal hair lichen of the genus Bryoria. During early winter, there is considerable variation in habitat use among populations. We snow-trailed Caribou in the southern Purcell Mountains during early winter to determine foraging patterns for the Purcell population. When snow was ≤51 cm deep, Caribou fed on Grouseberry (Vaccinium scoparium), the terrestrial lichen Cladonia, and arboreal lichens of the genus Bryoria. When snow was ≥62 cm deep, they ate exclusively arboreal lichens. In both periods, Caribou ate arboreal lichen from essentially every downed tree or branch encountered and fed with a higher intensity at downed trees than standing trees. During the low-snow period, Caribou fed at fewer trees but used those with greater lichen abundance, and fed more intensively at each, compared to the deep-snow period. In comparison to trees occurring on the foraging path but at which Caribou did not feed, those from which arboreal lichen was foraged intensively were of larger diameter, had greater lichen abundance, and were more likely to be Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) or Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii) and less likely to be Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis), Lodgepole Pine (P. contorta) or Alpine Larch (Larix lyalli). The shift in diet between the low-snow and deep-snow periods reflected two modes of foraging within the early winter period, distinct from one another and apparently also distinct from the late-winter season. Management for early-winter habitat will require retention of some commercially significant forest across extensive areas, both near the subalpine forest – subalpine parkland ecotone and lower in the subalpine forest.

scholarly journals Late-Winter Habitat Use by Mule Deer, Odocoileus hemionus, in Central Interior British Columbia

2008 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 205
Author(s):  
Gilbert Proulx
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Mule Deer ◽  
Odocoileus Hemionus ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Winter Habitat

In central interior British Columbia, extensive cut blocks to recover timber killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) could impact negatively on Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) late-winter habitat. This study assessed the possibility of predicting the distribution of potential late-winter habitat for Mule Deer with the BC Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI) dataset used to produce forestry maps. On the basis of literature review and roadside inventories in December 2004, I predicted that high-quality Mule Deer late-winter habitat would correspond to mature and old conifer-dominated stands with ≤ 20% deciduous species, a canopy closure ≥ 45%, tree heights ≥ 23 m, tree diameter at breast height ≥ 24 cm, and basal area ≥ 45 m2/ha, and would be located on < 60% slopes on south, southeast, southwest or west aspects, or on flat ground. I allocated weight values to these criteria to classify map polygons into high-, medium- and low-quality polygons, and produce predictive maps of late-winter habitat use by Mule Deer. I tested my predictive habitat rating by snowtracking along 18 km of transects in February-March 2006, and 15.6 km of transects in February 2007. I recorded 31 and 12 Mule Deer tracks in 2006 and 2007, respectively, all in high-quality polygons. The observed frequency of tracks per polygon type was significantly (P < 0.001) different from expected. All tracks were in mature and old conifer-dominated stands including 10-60% Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) and 10-20% Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides). This study showed that it was possible to predict the distribution of potential late-winter habitat for Mule Deer using a series of habitat criteria and the VRI dataset. The extensive harvesting of Lodgepole Pine in mixed coniferous stands will undoubtedly have a negative impact on Mule Deer late-winter habitat quality and quantity. The rating of habitat types developed in this study should be used in forest management plans to determine sites that should be protected from logging.

scholarly journals Winter Habitat Use by American Marten, Martes americana, in Western Alberta Boreal Forests

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Gilbert Proulx
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Martes Americana ◽  
American Marten ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Management Area ◽  
Forest Regions ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Successional Forests ◽  
Young Forests

Although the American Marten (Martes americana) is found in most forest regions of Alberta, little is known about its choice of winter habitats. This study investigated winter habitat use by American Marten in Weyerhaeuser’s Grande Prairie Forest Management Area (FMA) using snowtracking along 128.2 km of seismic lines inventoried in winters 1999, 2002, and 2005 with snowmobiles. American Marten tracks (n = 44) occurred significantly less frequently than expected (P < 0.001) in immature/young pole stands, but more frequently than expected (P < 0.02) in mature/old growth mixedwood stands. American Martens apparently used young forests, and mature/old coniferous and deciduous stands, according to their availability. Forest development plans should be developed locally to retain late successional forests that meet the winter habitat requirements of American Marten.

Winter habitat use by red and roe deer in pine-dominated forest

2008 ◽  
Vol 255 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 468-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Borkowski ◽  
J. Ukalska
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Winter Habitat

Fusion of the distal femoral epiphysis in male and female marten and fisher

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (11) ◽  
pp. 1514-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Dagg ◽  
D. Leach ◽  
G. Sumner-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Good Method ◽  
Martes Americana ◽  
Martes Pennanti ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Distal Femoral Epiphysis

The distal femoral epiphyses of 142 marten (Martes americana) and 391 fisher (Martes pennanti), all trapped from November to February in the Algonquin region of Ontario, were radiographed to determine their state of fusion and the presence or absence of scar lines. These criteria indicated that on the average fusion occurred first in female marten, then in male marten, female fisher, and finally in male fisher. Thus the time of fusion in these mustelids was a function of size and possibly also of sex. Radiography of the femur of winter-trapped marten and fisher is not a good method of aging these species because the degree of fusion does not necessarily differentiate juveniles from adults.

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