Behaviour of West Greenland caribou during a population decline

• Published in: Ecography
• Main Authors: Roby, Daniel D., Thing, Henning
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1985
• Subjects: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Greenland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1985.tb01156.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0587.1985.tb01156.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1985.tb01156.x

The major decline of the West Greenland caribou herd during the 1970s prompted a study in 1977–78 of caribou behaviour in relation to environmental factors associated with the decline. Quantification of caribou activity revealed behavioural responses to critically low standing crops of preferred winter forage. Caribou on poor winter range were mostly inactive with low feeding intensities and abnormal diurnal activity patterns. In addition, these animals exhibited very restricted movements, frequently occurred alone or in small groups, and were unable to maintain normal social bonds. In contrast, where fruticose lichen winter forage was available, caribou did not display these behavioural traits. After the initiation of new vegetative growth, feeding intensity increased and social tendency returned. Comparison with behavioural data from other Rangifer populations suggests that the observed responses to low forage quality are not restricted to Greenland but are a normal response of barren‐ground caribou to winter ranges poor in lichen forage.