Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment
Snow cover is a key environmental component for tundra wildlife that will be affected by climate change. Change to the snow cover may affect the population dynamics of high‐latitude small mammals, which are active throughout the winter and reproduce under the snow. We experimentally tested the hypot...
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x 2023-12-03T10:18:26+01:00 Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment Bilodeau, Frédéric Reid, Donald G. Gauthier, Gilles Krebs, Charles J. Berteaux, Dominique Kenney, Alice J. 2012 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0706.2012.00220.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Oikos volume 122, issue 8, page 1167-1176 ISSN 0030-1299 1600-0706 Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2012 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x 2023-11-09T14:06:58Z Snow cover is a key environmental component for tundra wildlife that will be affected by climate change. Change to the snow cover may affect the population dynamics of high‐latitude small mammals, which are active throughout the winter and reproduce under the snow. We experimentally tested the hypotheses that a deeper snow cover would enhance the densities and winter reproductive rates of small mammals, but that predation by mustelids could be higher in areas of increased small mammal density. We enhanced snow cover by setting out snow fences at three sites in the Canadian Arctic (Bylot Island, Nunavut, and Herschel Island and Komakuk Beach, Yukon) over periods ranging from one to four years. Densities of winter nests were higher where snow depth was increased but spring lemming densities did not increase on the experimental areas. Lemmings probably moved from areas of deep snow, their preferred winter habitat, to summer habitat during snow melt once the advantages associated with deep snow were gone. Our treatment had no effect on signs of reproduction in winter nests, proportion of lactating females in spring, or the proportion of juveniles caught in spring, which suggests that deep snow did not enhance reproduction. Results on predation were inconsistent across sites as predation by weasels was higher on the experimental area at one site but lower at two others and was not higher in areas of winter nest aggregations. Although this experiment provided us with several new insights about the impact of snow cover on the population dynamics of tundra small mammals, it also illustrates the challenges and difficulties associated with large‐scale experiments aimed at manipulating a critical climatic factor. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Bylot Island Climate change Herschel Herschel Island Nunavut Tundra Yukon Wiley Online Library (via Crossref) Arctic Bylot Island Herschel Island ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) Komakuk Beach ENVELOPE(-140.157,-140.157,69.601,69.601) Nunavut Yukon Oikos 122 8 1167 1176 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
topic |
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Bilodeau, Frédéric Reid, Donald G. Gauthier, Gilles Krebs, Charles J. Berteaux, Dominique Kenney, Alice J. Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
topic_facet |
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Snow cover is a key environmental component for tundra wildlife that will be affected by climate change. Change to the snow cover may affect the population dynamics of high‐latitude small mammals, which are active throughout the winter and reproduce under the snow. We experimentally tested the hypotheses that a deeper snow cover would enhance the densities and winter reproductive rates of small mammals, but that predation by mustelids could be higher in areas of increased small mammal density. We enhanced snow cover by setting out snow fences at three sites in the Canadian Arctic (Bylot Island, Nunavut, and Herschel Island and Komakuk Beach, Yukon) over periods ranging from one to four years. Densities of winter nests were higher where snow depth was increased but spring lemming densities did not increase on the experimental areas. Lemmings probably moved from areas of deep snow, their preferred winter habitat, to summer habitat during snow melt once the advantages associated with deep snow were gone. Our treatment had no effect on signs of reproduction in winter nests, proportion of lactating females in spring, or the proportion of juveniles caught in spring, which suggests that deep snow did not enhance reproduction. Results on predation were inconsistent across sites as predation by weasels was higher on the experimental area at one site but lower at two others and was not higher in areas of winter nest aggregations. Although this experiment provided us with several new insights about the impact of snow cover on the population dynamics of tundra small mammals, it also illustrates the challenges and difficulties associated with large‐scale experiments aimed at manipulating a critical climatic factor. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bilodeau, Frédéric Reid, Donald G. Gauthier, Gilles Krebs, Charles J. Berteaux, Dominique Kenney, Alice J. |
author_facet |
Bilodeau, Frédéric Reid, Donald G. Gauthier, Gilles Krebs, Charles J. Berteaux, Dominique Kenney, Alice J. |
author_sort |
Bilodeau, Frédéric |
title |
Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
title_short |
Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
title_full |
Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
title_fullStr |
Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
title_sort |
demographic response of tundra small mammals to a snow fencing experiment |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0706.2012.00220.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-139.089,-139.089,69.583,69.583) ENVELOPE(-140.157,-140.157,69.601,69.601) |
geographic |
Arctic Bylot Island Herschel Island Komakuk Beach Nunavut Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Bylot Island Herschel Island Komakuk Beach Nunavut Yukon |
genre |
Arctic Bylot Island Climate change Herschel Herschel Island Nunavut Tundra Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic Bylot Island Climate change Herschel Herschel Island Nunavut Tundra Yukon |
op_source |
Oikos volume 122, issue 8, page 1167-1176 ISSN 0030-1299 1600-0706 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.00220.x |
container_title |
Oikos |
container_volume |
122 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1167 |
op_container_end_page |
1176 |
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1784265416015609856 |