Peary caribou, muskoxen and Banks Island forage: Assessing seasonal diet similarities

• Main Authors: Nicholas C. Larter, John A. Nagy
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Peary; Banks Island; Carex aquatilis; muskox; ovibos moschatus; Rangifer
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.602.2775; http://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/viewFile/378/367/

and muskoxen {Ovibos moschatus) on Banks Island had considerable similarity in their annual diets, w i t h monthly similarities ranging from 17.8-73.3%. Diet similarity was more pro-nounced in areas of h igh muskox density {ca. 1.65/km2) than in areas of low muskox density {ca. 0.4/km 2). W i l l o w (Salix arctka) and sedge (Carex aquatilis and Eriophorum spp.) represented>80 % of the monthly diet of muskoxen. The caribou diet was more diverse, and was dominated by sedge, w i l l o w, Dryas integrifolia, and Oxytropis maydelliana, Lichen use was rare, l ikely as a consequence of low availability on Banks Island. Lichen standing crop was estimated at 2.96 g/m 2. The differences i n muskox diet between high and low density areas could not be explained by differences in fora-ge distr ibution or standing crop. W e discuss diet similarities of caribou and muskoxen and potential consequences for