Space use of moose in relation to food availability

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Dussault, Christian, Courtois, Réhaume, Ouellet, Jean-Pierre, Girard, Irène
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2005
• Subjects: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Alces alces
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z05-140; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z05-140

We assessed the influence of temporal and spatial changes in food availability on home-range size and movements of moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)). Ten adult moose were radio-collared and monitored with GPS telemetry collars during two contrasting time periods based on food quality and availability: summer (growing period) and winter (dormant and snowy period). According to the habitat productivity – home-range size hypothesis, we expected home-range size and movement rate to be negatively correlated with the proportion of food-rich habitat types in home ranges. Food availability influenced space use, but the effect was more pronounced at the small scale (i.e., movement rates) than at the large scale (i.e., home-range sizes) and during winter than summer. The negative relationship between food availability and home-range size only existed in winter, but movement rates were lower in food-rich habitat types in both time periods. Our results suggested that body size was not the primary factor governing sex-related differences in space use which were likely more related to specific needs of females with regard to the feeding and protection of calves. We suggest that the habitat productivity – home-range size hypothesis may not always be supported when forage is widely distributed and that movement rates can be a better index of forage availability than home-range sizes in such situations.