scholarly journals Characteristics of Wolverine (Gulo gulo) dens in the lowland boreal forest of north-central Alberta

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Jokinen ◽  
Shevenell M. Webb ◽  
Douglas L. Manzer ◽  
Robert B. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
North Central ◽  
Gulo Gulo ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Denning Ecology ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Northern Alberta

We investigated Wolverine (Gulo gulo) denning ecology in the boreal forest of northern Alberta. During winters 2015/2016 and 2016/2017, we used live traps to capture four female Wolverines and fitted them with global positioning system (GPS) collars programmed to take a location every two hours. We determined reproductive status at capture and GPS location data were used to identify den sites. One female denned in one of the two years, one female denned in two consecutive years, and two females did not den during the study. Seven of the eight Wolverine den sites were in mature or old Black Spruce (Picea mariana) stands, where dens consisted of a hollow, moss-covered mound originating from a partially uplifted root mass caused by a leaning or fallen tree. One den was located under decayed logging debris with an overstorey dominated by dense deciduous regeneration. Maximum snow depth recorded (December–March) at weather stations in the study area was 32–51 cm. Spring snow coverage was scarce in our study area (<1%) and always associated with ice cover on lakes and large ponds; mean distance from dens to nearest spring snow coverage was 15.19 km (SD = 2.73, n = 8). Female Wolverines appear to be using locally-available denning structures in the lowland boreal forest, despite a lack of deep snow, persistent spring snow cover, or large boulders documented in other studies. 

scholarly journals Wolverine, Gulo gulo luscus, Resting Sites and Caching Behavior in the Boreal Forest

2004 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Wright ◽  
Jessica Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Gulo Gulo ◽  
Feeding Site ◽  
Resting Sites ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Spruce Stands ◽  
Good Visibility

Wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) caches and resting sites were examined in a study area in the boreal upland forests of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia (approximately 57°N). Cache sites were in climax, or “overmature” stands of Black Spruce (Picea mariana) or mixed-wood of high complexity, dominated by conifers, and in which the Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) component consisted of mostly dead or dying trees characteristic of such old growth in the boreal uplands. Sites offered relatively good visibility of the surrounding stand. Sites were never located in the dense to extremely dense homogenous spruce stands documented as being favored for travel by Wolverines in the study area. The better used cache complexes were accessed by numerous well-used trails made by the Wolverines themselves. Caches consisted of the bones, hide and hair of Moose (Alces alces) believed to have been killed by Grey Wolves (Canis lupus). Caches were classified as “simple caches” composed of a single feeding site and/or excavation and “cache complexes” involving one or more feeding “stations”, latrines, resting sites, and climbing trees that may have been used as avenues of escape from competitors/predators. Resting sites were located atop the snow in relatively open locations that offered good visibility of the surroundings. Climax stands were implicated as being of importance to Wolverine caching behavior. Conservation implications include the detrimental effect on Wolverine populations likely to result from current timber harvesting practices in the boreal forest.

scholarly journals Preliminary investigation into the feasibility of combining satellite and GPS data to identify pasture growth and grazing

2019 ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon J.R. Woodward ◽  
Mark B. Neal ◽  
Peter S. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Preliminary Investigation ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Growth Differences

Regular estimation of pasture availability is a time-consuming on-farm task, but one that is vital for good grazing management. The ability to automate this task is, therefore, highly valuable. Combining satellite sensing of pasture mass with global positioning for herd location provides raw data that can potentially be used to automatically estimate pasture mass, pasture growth and pasture grazing events across a farm. The feasibility of automatically obtaining and processing this information was demonstrated on a Waikato dairy farm from 22 October 2018 to 21 February 2019 (123 days), with 13 global positioning collars recording the location of grazing mobs 16 times per hour on average, in a dairy herd of initially 380 animals. Satellite sensing of pasture cover over the same period was only possible on 16 days during this period, with November being particularly cloudy, resulting in fewer pasture cover estimates. A non-linear regression model was constructed with parameters representing initial pasture cover, average pasture growth rate through time, pasture growth differences between paddocks, pasture disappearance rate relative to the density of cow GPS samples, and an ungrazeable residual. A Bayesian approach was used to infer the model parameters from the satellite-measured pasture cover data. This allowed interpolation of pasture mass through the whole period with an RMSE of 225 kgDM/ha, as well as identifying growth rate differences between paddocks, which may provide a useful basis for improved pasture management. Rough estimates of cow average daily pasture disappearance were also made, which peaked at 20 kgDM/d in November, falling to 5 kgDM/d by February. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of combining satellite pasture cover data with herd location data from a small number of GPS collars to infer pasture growth rates in individual paddocks through time.

scholarly journals Measuring Fine-Scale White-Tailed Deer Movements and Environmental Influences Using GPS Collars

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Webb ◽  
Kenneth L. Gee ◽  
Bronson K. Strickland ◽  
Stephen Demarais ◽  
Randy W. DeYoung
Keyword(s):  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Moon Phase ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Tracking Devices

Few studies have documented fine-scale movements of ungulate species, including white-tailed deer(Odocoileus virginianus), despite the advent of global positioning system (GPS) technology incorporated into tracking devices. We collected fine-scale temporal location estimates (i.e., 15 min/relocation attempt) from 17 female and 15 male white-tailed deer over 7 years and 3 seasons in Oklahoma, USA. Our objectives were to document fine-scale movements of females and males and determine effects of reproductive phase, moon phase, and short-term weather patterns on movements. Female and male movements were primarily crepuscular. Male total daily movements were 20% greater during rut () than postrut (). Female daily movements were greatest during postparturition (), followed by parturition (), and preparturition (). We found moon phase had no effect on daily, nocturnal, and diurnal deer movements and fine-scale temporal weather conditions had an inconsistent influence on deer movement patterns within season. Our data suggest that hourly and daily variation in weather events have minimal impact on movements of white-tailed deer in southern latitudes. Instead, routine crepuscular movements, presumed to maximize thermoregulation and minimize predation risk, appear to be the most important factors influencing movements.

scholarly journals The Application of GPS (Global Positioning System) and SMS Gateway on Hepinar “Helm Pintar” Arduino Microcontroller Based as a Post-Accident Solution

INSIST ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Malikul Fanani ◽  
Kukuh Priambodo ◽  
Iklil Sulaiman ◽  
Sumardi Sumardi
Keyword(s):  
Global Positioning System ◽  
Traffic Accident ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Positioning System ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Global Positioning ◽  
Accident Victim ◽  
Arduino Microcontroller ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Coordinate Data

In Indonesia, the number of death of accident is still pretty high with most of 70% the traffic accident is motorcycle driver who is late in getting aid and the head injury is the first order of all types of experiencing by the accident victim. Prehospital Care is an emergency service when the victim is firstly found, during the process of the transportation until the patient arrives at the hospital Thus, the purpose of this research is the application of GPS (Global Positioning System) and SMS gateway on the safety helmet in order to increase the aid post-accident. The application of GPS has an advantage to receive data from the satellite which next will be stored on arduino microcontroller. Microcontroller will retrieve the driver location data in the forms of latitude, longitude and time. Next, the driver location will be sent by microcontroller via SMS gateway service to the nearest hospital and the victim's family to make the evacuation process easy. This research is tested along the travel of Jember-Lumajang regency. The result of this research is the GPS application on the safety helmet can be applied well. The transmission of driver position coordinate data if the accident happened via sending media of SMS can be applied along with GSM signal from the provider so that the SMS sending works well.

Summary and Synthesis: Past and Future Changes in the Alaskan Boreal Forest

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn W. Walker ◽  
Mary E. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Tree Resistance ◽  
Forest Sites

Historically the boreal forest has experienced major changes, and it remains a highly dynamic biome today. During cold phases of Quaternary climate cycles, forests were virtually absent from Alaska, and since the postglacial re-establishment of forests ca 13,000 years ago, there have been periods of both relative stability and rapid change (Chapter 5). Today, the Alaskan boreal forest appears to be on the brink of further significant change in composition and function triggered by recent changes that include climatic warming (Chapter 4). In this chapter, we summarize the major conclusions from earlier chapters as a basis for anticipating future trends. Alaska warmed rapidly at the end of the last glacial period, ca 15,000–13,000 years ago. Broadly speaking, climate was warmest and driest in the late glacial and early Holocene; subsequently, moisture increased, and the climate gradually cooled. These changes were associated with shifts in vegetation dominance from deciduous woodland and shrubland to white spruce and then to black spruce. The establishment of stands of fire-prone black spruce over large areas of the boreal forest 5000–6000 years ago is linked to an apparent increase in fire frequency, despite the climatic trend to cooler and moister conditions. This suggests that long-term features of the Holocene fire regime are more strongly driven by vegetation characteristics than directly by climate (Chapter 5). White spruce forests show decreased growth in response to recent warming, because warming-induced drought stress is more limiting to growth than is temperature per se (Chapters 5, 11). If these environmental controls persist, projections suggest that continued climate warming will lead to zero net annual growth and perhaps the movement of white spruce to cooler upland forest sites before the end of the twenty-first century. At the southern limit of the Alaskan boreal forest, spruce bark beetle outbreaks have decimated extensive areas of spruce forest, because warmer temperatures have reduced tree resistance to bark beetles and shortened the life cycle of the beetle from two years to one, shifting the tree-beetle interaction in favor of the insect (Chapter 9).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document