Differential habitat use and sexual segregation in the Central Arctic caribou herd

Distribution of the Central Arctic caribou herd is characterized by segregation of the sexes and different habitat preferences by male and female caribou over most of the annual cycle. During all periods except late winter and postcalving, females showed a more northern distribution than did males. Females used riparian habitats less than availability and were generally farther from major river valleys than expected during all seasons except late winter. In contrast, males preferred riparian habitats from late winter to calving and were generally found closer to river valleys than were females from late winter to August dispersal. During the spring and calving periods near the coast females preferred sedge meadow and used riparian habitat less than availability whereas males preferred riparian and tussock tundra and used sedge meadow less than availability. It is theorized that sexual segregation and differential habitat use reflect predator avoidance strategies of females with calves and optimal foraging by adult males.

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Habitat preferences of polar bears in the western Canadian Arctic in late winter and spring

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247400023172 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 29 (168) ◽

pp. 13-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Ian Stirling ◽

Dennis Andriashek ◽

Wendy Calvert

Keyword(s):

Sea Ice ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Late Winter ◽

Polar Bears ◽

Adult Males ◽

Age Classes ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Adult Females ◽

Fast Ice

ABSTRACTBetween late March and May, from 1971 through 1979, we surveyed 74,332 km2 of sea-ice habitatin the eastern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf in the western Canadian Arctic. We defined seven sea-ice habitat types and recorded sightings of polar bears and their tracks in each to determine their habitat preferences. 791 bears (including cubs) and 6454 sets of tracks were recorded. 42.3%, 39.7%, and 15.6% of the bears were seen on floe-edge, moving ice, and drifted fast-ice habitats, respectively. Significant differences in habitat preferences were shown by bears of different sexes and age classes. Adult females accompanied by cubs of the year were the only group that showed a strong preference for fast ice with drifts, probably because they could feed adequately there while avoiding adult males that might prey upon their cubs. The highest densities of seals are found in floe-edge and moving ice habitats and this likely explains the predominance of bears there. Lone adult females and females with two-year-old cubs, adult males, and subadult males were found two and one-half to four times more frequently than predicted in floe-edge habitat. Since there are no data to suggest seals are more abundant along the floe edge than in moving ice habitat, the preference of these groups of adult polar bears for the floe edge in spring may be related to reproductive behavior.

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Comparative habitat selection by muskoxen introduced to northeastern Alaska and the Taimyr Peninsula, Russia

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.13.1.1068 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 21 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

David R. Klein ◽

Gregory D. Yakushkin ◽

Elina B. Pospelova

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Snow Accumulation ◽

Early Years ◽

Late Winter ◽

Taimyr Peninsula ◽

Ovibos Moschatus ◽

Tussock Tundra ◽

Riparian Habitats ◽

To Receive

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) introduced to formerly occupied areas in northeastern Alaska (70°N) in 1969 and 1970, and the Taimyr Peninsula (75°N) in 1974 and 1975 increased in number (exceeding 20%/year in the early years following their establishment), and have expaned into available habitats. Vegetation of the two areas share many similarities, although richness of vascular plant species is greater in Alaska (350) than in the Taimyr (230). Seasonal partitioning of range use is similar in both areas with low-lying tussock tundra being used primarily from summer through early to mid-winter. By late winter, when snow accumulation in low areas and on lower slopes of hills limits access to forage, muskoxen concentrate activity on drier ridge tops and river and coastal bluffs with little snow accumulation. Riparian habitats appear to receive greater year round use in Alaska than in the Taimyr.

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

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v128i3.1607 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 128 (3) ◽

pp. 272 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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Summer stream habitat preferences of Nunavik anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) fry and parr

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2021-0119 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Véronique Dubos ◽

André St-Hilaire ◽

Normand E Bergeron

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Salvelinus Alpinus ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Arctic Region ◽

Arctic Char ◽

The Arctic ◽

Stream Habitat ◽

Physical Habitat ◽

High Plasticity ◽

Slow Velocity

Arctic char is a fish species known to occupy diverse habitats within the Arctic region. However, summer habitat use during the juvenile stage of the anadromous form is largely unknown. The present study aims to characterize fry and parr summer habitat preferences. Surveys were conducted by electrofishing, associated with physical habitat characterization on several rivers of the Ungava Bay, Nunavik, Canada. At the microhabitat and station scales, fry showed significant habitat preferences for shallow water and slow velocity. At the mesohabitat scale, fry showed a significant habitat selectivity for riffles. This habitat selectivity implies that habitat models can be built to evaluate the potential of habitat suitability for Arctic char fry. However, no significant habitat selectivity was found for parr. Parr size was nonetheless positively correlated with velocity, which was found to be a limitative factor for juvenile habitat use. This first attempt at modeling juvenile anadromous Arctic char habitat in rivers emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate spatial scale and reiterates the fact that parr showed relatively high plasticity in stream habitat selection.

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Changing patterns of habitat use by southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) on their nursery ground at Península Valdés, Argentina, and in their long-range movements

J. Cetacean Res. Manage. ◽

10.47536/jcrm.vi.298 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 133-143

Author(s):

Victoria J. Rowntree ◽

Roger S. Payne ◽

Donald M. Schell

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Nitrogen Isotope ◽

Isotope Ratios ◽

Small Scale ◽

Nursery Ground ◽

Adult Males ◽

Human Disturbances ◽

Eubalaena Australis ◽

Right Whales ◽

Southern Right Whales

Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) have been studied on their nursery ground at Península Valdés, Argentina, every year since 1970. Since 1990, 1,208 individuals have been identified from photographs taken during annual aerial surveys; 618 whales were seen in two or more years. Patterns of habitat use have changed during the study in ways which suggest that right whales may be capable of substantial behavioral and ecological flexibility. One male and three females from Península Valdés have been sighted on other nursery grounds (Tristan da Cunha and southern Brazil). Three individuals from Península Valdés were sighted on feeding grounds off Shag Rocks and South Georgia. Some right whales from Península Valdés showed carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios very similar to those seen in right whales off South Africa, while others showed distinctive isotope ratios indicating that they fed in a different area. Whales of all ages and both sexes moved frequently between three major regions of concentration on the Península Valdés nursery ground. Subadults and adult females with calves were resighted at higher rates than adult males and females in non-calf years. Changes in the geographic distribution of whales at the Península include: (1) abandonment of a major region of concentration; (2) establishment of a nursery area adjacent to thecentre of a growing whalewatching industry; and (3) small-scale shifts in distribution, possibly in response to natural and human disturbances.

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Space fit for a king: spatial ecology of king cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) in Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Northeastern Thailand

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/15685381-18000008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 163-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Benjamin Michael Marshall ◽

Colin Thomas Strine ◽

Max Dolton Jones ◽

Taksin Artchawakom ◽

Ines Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Breeding Season ◽

Protected Area ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Radio Telemetry ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Adult Males ◽

Anthropogenic Pressures ◽

Anthropogenic Landscapes ◽

Ophiophagus Hannah

Abstract A species’ spatial ecology has direct implications for that species’ conservation. Far-ranging species may be more difficult to conserve because their movements increase their chances of encountering humans. The movements can take them out of protected areas, which is especially risky for species that are routinely persecuted. The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), a large venomous elapid, is subject to anthropogenic pressures, such as persecution and habitat loss. Here we present results from a study using radio telemetry to quantify movements and habitat use of nine king cobras in and around a protected area in Northeast Thailand. This study is the first investigation into the movements and habitat use of king cobras outside of the Western Ghats, India. On average, the tracked king cobra’s use areas of 493.42 ± 335.60 ha (95% fixed kernel), moving 183.24 ± 82.63 m per day. King cobras did not remain in intact forested area. Five of the individuals frequently used the human-dominated agricultural areas surrounding the protected area, appearing to make regular use of irrigation canals. Two adult males showed increases in movements during the breeding season. One male’s increased breeding season range caused him to venture beyond the protected area, shifting his habitat use from intact forests to scrub in human-dominated areas. King cobras’ large home range and willingness to use anthropogenic landscapes merits special consideration from conservation planners.

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Aggregating Behavior of Ovigerous Female Red King Crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, in Auke Bay, Alaska

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f93-086 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 750-758 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Robert P. Stone ◽

Charles E. O'Clair ◽

Thomas C. Shirley

Keyword(s):

Shallow Water ◽

Nearest Neighbor ◽

Ovigerous Female ◽

Early Spring ◽

Late Winter ◽

Red King Crab ◽

Paralithodes Camtschaticus ◽

Adult Males ◽

Age Classes ◽

King Crab

Ovigerous female red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, monitored with ultrasonic biotelemetry, displayed distinct seasonal shifts in habitat use and bathymetric distribution. Crab occupied deep water between June and mid-November, relatively shallow water between mid-November and early March, and returned to deeper water prior to molting and mating in spring. Females were nonrandomly distributed within both depth ranges but seasonally changed their behavior and degree of association with conspecifics. Tagged crab were more aggregated (lower mean nearest neighbor distances) in winter than in summer and fall (F-test, P < 0.01). Winter SCUBA observations supported these results; females of mixed age-classes formed dense aggregations in shallow water, and crab exhibited "podding" behavior similar to that reported for younger age-classes. Adult males were associated with aggregations during late winter and early spring. Observations from the manned submersible Delta indicated that females were nonrandomly distributed in the deepwater habitat as well and probably formed loosely knit feeding aggregations there. Seasonal changes in aggregation densities and benthic areas used were the same during the two consecutive years of this study.

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Soil microbial and nutrient dynamics in a wet Arctic sedge meadow in late winter and early spring

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2006.04.042 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 38 (9) ◽

pp. 2843-2851 ◽

Cited By ~ 106

Author(s):

K EDWARDS ◽

J MCCULLOCH ◽

G PETERKERSHAW ◽

R JEFFERIES

Keyword(s):

Nutrient Dynamics ◽

Early Spring ◽

Late Winter ◽

Sedge Meadow ◽

Soil Microbial

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Scats can reveal the presence and habitat use of cryptic rock-dwelling macropods

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo05074 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 54 (5) ◽

pp. 325 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Wendy R. Telfer ◽

Anthony D. Griffiths ◽

David M. J. S. Bowman

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Radio Telemetry ◽

Classification Tree ◽

Habitat Preferences ◽

Wet Season ◽

Survey Tool ◽

Faecal Pellets ◽

Tropical Environments ◽

The Tropics ◽

Larger Sample

The rock-dwelling macropod species of the tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia, are behaviourally elusive and difficult to observe in their rugged habitats. Hence, little is understood about their ecology. We evaluated the potential of using scats (faecal pellets) as a survey tool for this faunal assemblage by: (1) developing a key to the scats of the species; (2) examining the rates of loss and decomposition of short-eared rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis) scats in these tropical environments; and (3) comparing the distribution of scats of P. brachyotis with the species’ use of space and habitats as determined with radio-telemetry. Classification tree modelling discriminated the scats of the seven macropod species, primarily on the basis of width. The reliability of identification was greatly improved with larger sample sizes and inclusion of a habitat parameter. Rates of scat loss and decay were variable and the greatest losses occurred in the wet season, particularly on sandy soils. Scat censuses underestimated the total area used by P. brachyotis but the distribution of scats showed the same broad pattern of habitat use found by radio-telemetry. We conclude that scats can accurately indicate the presence and habitat preferences of rock-dwelling macropod species.

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