Changing Snow Conditions and Shifts in American marten (Martes americana) distribution in Michigan's Upper Peninsula ...

• Main Author: Hiltner, Ethan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: My University 2022
• Subjects: Geographic Information Science; spatial ecology; Mammal Conservation; Species Distribution Modeling; American marten; Martes americana
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7302/4315; http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/172166

Climate change is forcing many species to shift their ranges northward and to higher altitudes. Information on the extent of these shifts and the mechanisms driving them are urgently needed to inform conservation planning. Here, we explore the impact of changing climatic conditions on American marten (Martes americana) occupancy in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, part of the greater Northwoods, where they are of high economic, cultural, and ecological importance. Using marten harvest data reported to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources between 2005 and 2020 we employ ensemble species distribution models aggregated into 5-year periods to investigate if the occurrence and projected distribution of American marten has shifted over time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in response to changing climatic conditions. Our results show a gradual decrease over time in marten occupancy in the southern Upper Peninsula facilitated by a decrease in suitable abiotic conditions over the last two decades. Average winter ...