Range expansion by moose into coastal temperate rainforests of British Columbia, Canada

• Published in: Diversity and Distributions
• Main Authors: Darimont, C. T., Paquet, P. C., Reimchen, T. E., Crichton, V.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2005
• Subjects: British Columbia; Canada; Alces alces; Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00135.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1366-9516.2005.00135.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00135.x

ABSTRACT Ranges of species are dynamic and respond to long‐term climate change and contemporary effects such as habitat modification. We report here that moose ( Alces alces ) have recently colonized coastal temperate rainforests of British Columbia, Canada. Contrary to recent publications, field observations of moose and their sign, combined with their occurrence in wolf ( Canis lupus ) faeces, suggest that moose are now widespread on the coastal mainland and occur on least three islands. Traditional ecological knowledge (information accumulated by aboriginal peoples about their environment) suggests that colonization occurred during the mid 1900s, concomitant with logging of major watersheds that bisect the Coast Mountain Range. Range expansion by moose may have ecological consequences such as alteration of predator–prey dynamics and transmission of disease to native deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ).