Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou ...

• Main Authors: Michelot, Candice, Leclerc, Martin, Taillon, Joëlle, Dussault, Christian, Hénault Richard, Julien, Côté, Steeve
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2023
• Subjects: predator-prey interactions; Canis lupus; Rangifer tarandus; movements; Space use; FOS Earth and related environmental sciences; migration; Canada; Rivière aux Feuilles; caribou; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81

Large-scale animal migrations influence population and community dynamics along with ecosystem functioning. The migratory coupling concept posits that movement of migrant prey can lead to large-scale movements of predators. In northern ecosystems, spatial patterns and behavioral responses of grey wolf to spatio-temporal changes in its primary prey distribution, the migratory caribou, remain poorly documented. We used a long-term GPS dataset (2011–2021) of 59 wolves and 431 migratory caribou from the declining Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (Québec, Canada) to investigate movement patterns and space use of wolves related to caribou seasonal distribution. Wolves home ranges overlapped with areas used by caribou year-round, especially in May and winter. Wolves exhibited 3 annual tactics: sedentary (17%), long-distance migration (>700 km) between wintering areas and the tundra (36%), and a medium-distance migration, stopping their northward movement near the treeline (47%). Migratory wolves started spring ... : We collected data on grey wolf movements in northern Québec in the annual range of the Rivière-aux-Feuilles migratory caribou herd (RFH). In February and March of 2011–2019, we captured 59 adult grey wolves within the RFH range from a helicopter and using either a net gun or a tranquilizer dart gun with Telazol (10 mg.kg-1). We equipped grey wolves with GPS collars (Lotek, Vectronic, Telonics) programmed to record a location every 1 to 5 hours depending on the collar model and year. Individual grey wolves monitoring lasted on average 419 + 227 days (mean + SD). We defined each wolf-year as 1 April to 31 March of the following year. We captured caribou in the RFH range between December and March each year as part of the long-term population monitoring conducted by the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte aux changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) and Caribou Ungava. We captured caribou from a helicopter with a net gun and equipped them with GPS collars (Vectronic). GPS collars were ...