Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies
Woodland caribou populations are considered threatened in Alberta and have declined in the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks of Banff and Jasper despite protection from factors causing caribou populations to decline outside of parks. Recent research emphasizes the importance of the numeric resp...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0032ae03e24e4a79992fdd429a014e6c 2023-05-15T15:53:23+02:00 Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies Mark Hebblewhite Jesse Whittington Mark Bradley Geoff Skinner Alan Dibb Clifford A. White 2007-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7557/2.27.4.322 https://doaj.org/article/0032ae03e24e4a79992fdd429a014e6c EN eng Septentrio Academic Publishing https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/322 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.27.4.322 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/0032ae03e24e4a79992fdd429a014e6c Rangifer, Vol 27, Iss 4 (2007) ecosystem management endangered species inverse density dependence long-term range of variation park management predation Animal culture SF1-1100 article 2007 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7557/2.27.4.322 2022-12-31T02:17:51Z Woodland caribou populations are considered threatened in Alberta and have declined in the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks of Banff and Jasper despite protection from factors causing caribou populations to decline outside of parks. Recent research emphasizes the importance of the numeric response of wolves to moose in moose-caribou-wolf systems to caribou persistence. Moose are rare in the Canadian Rockies, where the dominant ungulate prey for wolves is elk. Few studies have explored wolf-elk dynamics and none have examined implications for caribou. We used data collected in Banff to estimate the numeric response of wolves to elk from 1985 to 2005. Because no caribou kill-rate data exist for the Rockies, we explore the consequences of a range of hypothetical kill-rates based on kill-rates of alternate prey collected from 1985 to 2000 in Banff. We then multiplied the numeric response of wolves by the estimated caribou kill-rates to estimate the wolf predation response on caribou as a function of elk density. Caribou predation rates were inversely density dependent because wolf numbers depend on prey species besides caribou in multiple prey species systems. We then combined this simple wolf-elk-caribou model with observed demographic and population estimates for Banff and Jasper caribou from 2003-2004 and solved for the critical kill-rate thresholds above which caribou populations would decline. Using these critical kill-rate thresholds, Jasper caribou are likely to persist when wolf densities are below 2.1 - 4.3 wolves/1000km2 and/or when elk densities are below 0.015- 0.033 elk/km2. Thresholds for Banff caribou persistence are much lower because of inverse density dependence. Future research is needed on some of the necessary assumptions underlying our modeling including multi-prey wolf numeric responses, wolf kill-rates of caribou, caribou mortality by other predators, and spatial aspects of wolf-elk-caribou dynamics. Article in Journal/Newspaper caribou Rangifer Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Rangifer 27 4 79 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
ecosystem management endangered species inverse density dependence long-term range of variation park management predation Animal culture SF1-1100 |
spellingShingle |
ecosystem management endangered species inverse density dependence long-term range of variation park management predation Animal culture SF1-1100 Mark Hebblewhite Jesse Whittington Mark Bradley Geoff Skinner Alan Dibb Clifford A. White Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
topic_facet |
ecosystem management endangered species inverse density dependence long-term range of variation park management predation Animal culture SF1-1100 |
description |
Woodland caribou populations are considered threatened in Alberta and have declined in the Canadian Rocky Mountain National Parks of Banff and Jasper despite protection from factors causing caribou populations to decline outside of parks. Recent research emphasizes the importance of the numeric response of wolves to moose in moose-caribou-wolf systems to caribou persistence. Moose are rare in the Canadian Rockies, where the dominant ungulate prey for wolves is elk. Few studies have explored wolf-elk dynamics and none have examined implications for caribou. We used data collected in Banff to estimate the numeric response of wolves to elk from 1985 to 2005. Because no caribou kill-rate data exist for the Rockies, we explore the consequences of a range of hypothetical kill-rates based on kill-rates of alternate prey collected from 1985 to 2000 in Banff. We then multiplied the numeric response of wolves by the estimated caribou kill-rates to estimate the wolf predation response on caribou as a function of elk density. Caribou predation rates were inversely density dependent because wolf numbers depend on prey species besides caribou in multiple prey species systems. We then combined this simple wolf-elk-caribou model with observed demographic and population estimates for Banff and Jasper caribou from 2003-2004 and solved for the critical kill-rate thresholds above which caribou populations would decline. Using these critical kill-rate thresholds, Jasper caribou are likely to persist when wolf densities are below 2.1 - 4.3 wolves/1000km2 and/or when elk densities are below 0.015- 0.033 elk/km2. Thresholds for Banff caribou persistence are much lower because of inverse density dependence. Future research is needed on some of the necessary assumptions underlying our modeling including multi-prey wolf numeric responses, wolf kill-rates of caribou, caribou mortality by other predators, and spatial aspects of wolf-elk-caribou dynamics. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mark Hebblewhite Jesse Whittington Mark Bradley Geoff Skinner Alan Dibb Clifford A. White |
author_facet |
Mark Hebblewhite Jesse Whittington Mark Bradley Geoff Skinner Alan Dibb Clifford A. White |
author_sort |
Mark Hebblewhite |
title |
Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
title_short |
Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
title_full |
Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
title_fullStr |
Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
title_full_unstemmed |
Conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the Canadian Rockies |
title_sort |
conditions for caribou persistence in the wolf-elk-caribou systems of the canadian rockies |
publisher |
Septentrio Academic Publishing |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.27.4.322 https://doaj.org/article/0032ae03e24e4a79992fdd429a014e6c |
genre |
caribou Rangifer |
genre_facet |
caribou Rangifer |
op_source |
Rangifer, Vol 27, Iss 4 (2007) |
op_relation |
https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/322 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.27.4.322 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/0032ae03e24e4a79992fdd429a014e6c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.27.4.322 |
container_title |
Rangifer |
container_volume |
27 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
79 |
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1766388515231236096 |