Data from: A camera trap based assessment of climate-driven phenotypic plasticity of seasonal moulting in an endangered carnivore ...

For many species, the ability to rapidly adapt to changes in seasonality is essential for long-term survival. In the Arctic, seasonal moulting is a key life history event that provides year-round camouflage and thermal protection. However, increased seasonal variability can lead to phenological mism...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Laporte-Devylder, Lucie, Ulvund, Kristine R., Rød-Eriksen, Lars, Olsson, Ola, Flagstad, Øystein, Landa, Arild, Eide, Nina E., Jackson, Craig R.
Format: Dataset
Language:English
Published: Dryad 2021
Subjects:
FOS Biological sciences
camera trapping
camouflage
Climate change
colour polymorphism
Phenological mismatch
Arctic
Norway
Vulpes lagopus
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xd2547dhm
https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.xd2547dhm
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Summary:For many species, the ability to rapidly adapt to changes in seasonality is essential for long-term survival. In the Arctic, seasonal moulting is a key life history event that provides year-round camouflage and thermal protection. However, increased seasonal variability can lead to phenological mismatch. In this study, we investigated whether winter-white (white morph) and winter-brown (blue morph) Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) could adjust their winter-to-summer moult to match local environmental conditions. We used camera trap images spanning an eight-year period to quantify the timing and rate of fur change in a polymorphic subpopulation in south-central Norway. Seasonal snow cover duration and temperature governed the phenology of the spring moult. We observed a later onset and longer moulting duration with decreasing temperature and longer snow season. Additionally, white foxes moulted earlier than blue in years with shorter periods of snow cover and warmer temperatures. These results suggest that ...

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