Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate
The demographic and environmental influences on large mammal morphology are central questions in ecology. We investigated the effects of population abundance and climate on body size and number of male antler points for the La Poile and Middle Ridge caribou (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) herds, Newfou...
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Septentrio Academic Publishing
2011
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7557/2.31.1.1917 https://doaj.org/article/4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 2023-05-15T15:53:29+02:00 Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate Shane P. Mahoney Jackie N. Weir J. Glenn Luther James A. Schaefer Shawn F. Morrison 2011-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7557/2.31.1.1917 https://doaj.org/article/4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 EN eng Septentrio Academic Publishing https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/1917 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.31.1.1917 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 Rangifer, Vol 31, Iss 1 (2011) antler caribou climate Newfoundland competition diastema Animal culture SF1-1100 article 2011 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7557/2.31.1.1917 2022-12-31T12:03:29Z The demographic and environmental influences on large mammal morphology are central questions in ecology. We investigated the effects of population abundance and climate on body size and number of male antler points for the La Poile and Middle Ridge caribou (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) herds, Newfoundland, Canada. Across 40 years and 20-fold changes in abundance, adult males and females exhibited diminished stature as indicated by jawbone size (diastema and total mandible length) and the number of antler points at the time of harvest. Associations between jawbone size and population abundance at birth were consistently negative for both herds, both sexes, and all age classes. Large-scale climate patterns, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation in the winter prior to birth, were also negatively associated with jawbone size. Declines in male antler size, as measured by the number of antler points, were not well predicted by either abundance or climate, suggesting other factors (e.g., current, rather than latent, foraging conditions) may be involved. We conclude that these morphological changes indicate competition for food resources. Article in Journal/Newspaper caribou Newfoundland North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Rangifer Rangifer tarandus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Rangifer 31 1 21 34 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
antler caribou climate Newfoundland competition diastema Animal culture SF1-1100 |
spellingShingle |
antler caribou climate Newfoundland competition diastema Animal culture SF1-1100 Shane P. Mahoney Jackie N. Weir J. Glenn Luther James A. Schaefer Shawn F. Morrison Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
topic_facet |
antler caribou climate Newfoundland competition diastema Animal culture SF1-1100 |
description |
The demographic and environmental influences on large mammal morphology are central questions in ecology. We investigated the effects of population abundance and climate on body size and number of male antler points for the La Poile and Middle Ridge caribou (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) herds, Newfoundland, Canada. Across 40 years and 20-fold changes in abundance, adult males and females exhibited diminished stature as indicated by jawbone size (diastema and total mandible length) and the number of antler points at the time of harvest. Associations between jawbone size and population abundance at birth were consistently negative for both herds, both sexes, and all age classes. Large-scale climate patterns, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation in the winter prior to birth, were also negatively associated with jawbone size. Declines in male antler size, as measured by the number of antler points, were not well predicted by either abundance or climate, suggesting other factors (e.g., current, rather than latent, foraging conditions) may be involved. We conclude that these morphological changes indicate competition for food resources. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Shane P. Mahoney Jackie N. Weir J. Glenn Luther James A. Schaefer Shawn F. Morrison |
author_facet |
Shane P. Mahoney Jackie N. Weir J. Glenn Luther James A. Schaefer Shawn F. Morrison |
author_sort |
Shane P. Mahoney |
title |
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
title_short |
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
title_full |
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
title_fullStr |
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
title_full_unstemmed |
Morphological change in Newfoundland caribou: Effects of abundance and climate |
title_sort |
morphological change in newfoundland caribou: effects of abundance and climate |
publisher |
Septentrio Academic Publishing |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.31.1.1917 https://doaj.org/article/4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
caribou Newfoundland North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Rangifer Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
caribou Newfoundland North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Rangifer Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Rangifer, Vol 31, Iss 1 (2011) |
op_relation |
https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/1917 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.31.1.1917 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/4b2e64bfb1d443c2ac1e7ab6b6d7f007 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.31.1.1917 |
container_title |
Rangifer |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
21 |
op_container_end_page |
34 |
_version_ |
1766388599868096512 |