Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate
Snow and ice determine winter forage availability for Arctic herbivores. Winter precipitation is anticipated to increase, and icing following warm spells and rain-on-snow (ROS) are likely to become more frequent. While this may reduce herbivore survival, fecundity and population growth, we can also...
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Norwegian Polar Institute
2017
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:1be6532c751a4c25a97b61848c4f3e00 2023-05-15T15:00:27+02:00 Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate Larissa T. Beumer Øystein Varpe Brage B. Hansen 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/article/1be6532c751a4c25a97b61848c4f3e00 EN eng Norwegian Polar Institute http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369 1751-8369 doi:10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/article/1be6532c751a4c25a97b61848c4f3e00 Polar Research, Vol 36, Iss 1 (2017) Climate change foraging behaviour icing herbivore optimal foraging theory Rangifer tarandus Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 2022-12-30T23:47:14Z Snow and ice determine winter forage availability for Arctic herbivores. Winter precipitation is anticipated to increase, and icing following warm spells and rain-on-snow (ROS) are likely to become more frequent. While this may reduce herbivore survival, fecundity and population growth, we can also expect behavioural and dietary responses. Here, we tested predictions from optimal foraging theory on how changing snowpack conditions influence choice of feeding craters and diet quality in a large generalist herbivore, the wild Svalbard reindeer. Snow and ice conditions over winter 2012/13 (a ‘normal’ winter with little ROS and icing) were measured in reindeer feeding craters, in paired controls one metre away and in fixed control sites. On average, feeding craters had less snow and integrated ram hardness (IRH, the force needed to reach the ground), but not less ice, than nearby controls. However, on this fine spatial scale, reindeer tended to select for microhabitat with worse snowpack conditions up to a certain level of snow (ca. 10 cm), ice (0.5 cm) and IRH (250 kg cm) in the nearby controls, reflecting the trade-off between selection for forage abundance versus accessibility in a sparsely vegetated environment. In this lichen-free system, faecal C:N ratios increased during winter as forage accessibility was increasingly restricted by snow, possibly indicating a reduction in diet quality due to changes in diet composition. Our study suggests that snowpack depth and hardness largely determine Svalbard reindeer feeding behaviour and diet quality during the course of a winter season. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Polar Research Rangifer tarandus Svalbard svalbard reindeer Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Svalbard Polar Research 36 1 1286121 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate change foraging behaviour icing herbivore optimal foraging theory Rangifer tarandus Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
spellingShingle |
Climate change foraging behaviour icing herbivore optimal foraging theory Rangifer tarandus Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 Larissa T. Beumer Øystein Varpe Brage B. Hansen Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
topic_facet |
Climate change foraging behaviour icing herbivore optimal foraging theory Rangifer tarandus Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
description |
Snow and ice determine winter forage availability for Arctic herbivores. Winter precipitation is anticipated to increase, and icing following warm spells and rain-on-snow (ROS) are likely to become more frequent. While this may reduce herbivore survival, fecundity and population growth, we can also expect behavioural and dietary responses. Here, we tested predictions from optimal foraging theory on how changing snowpack conditions influence choice of feeding craters and diet quality in a large generalist herbivore, the wild Svalbard reindeer. Snow and ice conditions over winter 2012/13 (a ‘normal’ winter with little ROS and icing) were measured in reindeer feeding craters, in paired controls one metre away and in fixed control sites. On average, feeding craters had less snow and integrated ram hardness (IRH, the force needed to reach the ground), but not less ice, than nearby controls. However, on this fine spatial scale, reindeer tended to select for microhabitat with worse snowpack conditions up to a certain level of snow (ca. 10 cm), ice (0.5 cm) and IRH (250 kg cm) in the nearby controls, reflecting the trade-off between selection for forage abundance versus accessibility in a sparsely vegetated environment. In this lichen-free system, faecal C:N ratios increased during winter as forage accessibility was increasingly restricted by snow, possibly indicating a reduction in diet quality due to changes in diet composition. Our study suggests that snowpack depth and hardness largely determine Svalbard reindeer feeding behaviour and diet quality during the course of a winter season. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Larissa T. Beumer Øystein Varpe Brage B. Hansen |
author_facet |
Larissa T. Beumer Øystein Varpe Brage B. Hansen |
author_sort |
Larissa T. Beumer |
title |
Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
title_short |
Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
title_full |
Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
title_fullStr |
Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cratering behaviour and faecal C:N ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a High-Arctic ungulate |
title_sort |
cratering behaviour and faecal c:n ratio in relation to seasonal snowpack characteristics in a high-arctic ungulate |
publisher |
Norwegian Polar Institute |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/article/1be6532c751a4c25a97b61848c4f3e00 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Polar Research Rangifer tarandus Svalbard svalbard reindeer |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Polar Research Rangifer tarandus Svalbard svalbard reindeer |
op_source |
Polar Research, Vol 36, Iss 1 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369 1751-8369 doi:10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 https://doaj.org/article/1be6532c751a4c25a97b61848c4f3e00 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1286121 |
container_title |
Polar Research |
container_volume |
36 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
1286121 |
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1766332556409569280 |