Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic
The distribution of traditional breeding dens on the Varanger Peninsula (70–71°N) in northernmost Fennoscandia indicates that this area once harboured a large Arctic fox population. Early 20th century naturalists regarded the coastal tundra of the Fennoscandian Low Arctic to be a stronghold for the...
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Norwegian Polar Institute
2017
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:4dee1453375a4a168f06018f1118d4c7 2023-05-15T14:31:00+02:00 Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic Rolf A. Ims Siw T. Killengreen Dorothee Ehrich Øystein Flagstad Sandra Hamel John-André Henden Ingrid Jensvoll Nigel G. Yoccoz 2017-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/article/4dee1453375a4a168f06018f1118d4c7 EN eng Norwegian Polar Institute http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369 1751-8369 doi:10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/article/4dee1453375a4a168f06018f1118d4c7 Polar Research, Vol 36, Iss 0 (2017) Climate warming food web lemming cycle red fox reindeer spatial subsidy Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 2022-12-31T13:15:30Z The distribution of traditional breeding dens on the Varanger Peninsula (70–71°N) in northernmost Fennoscandia indicates that this area once harboured a large Arctic fox population. Early 20th century naturalists regarded the coastal tundra of the Fennoscandian Low Arctic to be a stronghold for the species. At the start of our research in 2004, however, the local Arctic fox population was critically small and most neighbouring populations had been extirpated. Here, we synthesize the results of 11 years of research to highlight ecosystem drivers behind the critical state of the Arctic fox in Low-Arctic Fennoscandia. We identify two fundamental drivers: (1) an increasingly climate-driven irregularity of the lemming cycle and (2) a management- and climate-driven increase in the abundance of red fox that is subsidized by more ungulate carrion. Arctic fox reproductive success is low when lemmings are scarce (despite high vole abundance), while red foxes exclude Arctic foxes from high-quality breeding territories in summer and from marine and terrestrial carrion in winter. Red fox culling on Varanger Peninsula may have prevented the extirpation of the Arctic fox population. However, one decade after the onset of this management action the Arctic fox population has failed to increase either because the action has been insufficient or because demographic and environmental stochasticity has precluded a positive response. We discuss options for future research and management of the Arctic fox in the Fennoscandian Low Arctic. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Fox Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian Polar Research Tundra Varanger Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Polar Research 36 sup1 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate warming food web lemming cycle red fox reindeer spatial subsidy Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
spellingShingle |
Climate warming food web lemming cycle red fox reindeer spatial subsidy Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 Rolf A. Ims Siw T. Killengreen Dorothee Ehrich Øystein Flagstad Sandra Hamel John-André Henden Ingrid Jensvoll Nigel G. Yoccoz Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
topic_facet |
Climate warming food web lemming cycle red fox reindeer spatial subsidy Environmental sciences GE1-350 Oceanography GC1-1581 |
description |
The distribution of traditional breeding dens on the Varanger Peninsula (70–71°N) in northernmost Fennoscandia indicates that this area once harboured a large Arctic fox population. Early 20th century naturalists regarded the coastal tundra of the Fennoscandian Low Arctic to be a stronghold for the species. At the start of our research in 2004, however, the local Arctic fox population was critically small and most neighbouring populations had been extirpated. Here, we synthesize the results of 11 years of research to highlight ecosystem drivers behind the critical state of the Arctic fox in Low-Arctic Fennoscandia. We identify two fundamental drivers: (1) an increasingly climate-driven irregularity of the lemming cycle and (2) a management- and climate-driven increase in the abundance of red fox that is subsidized by more ungulate carrion. Arctic fox reproductive success is low when lemmings are scarce (despite high vole abundance), while red foxes exclude Arctic foxes from high-quality breeding territories in summer and from marine and terrestrial carrion in winter. Red fox culling on Varanger Peninsula may have prevented the extirpation of the Arctic fox population. However, one decade after the onset of this management action the Arctic fox population has failed to increase either because the action has been insufficient or because demographic and environmental stochasticity has precluded a positive response. We discuss options for future research and management of the Arctic fox in the Fennoscandian Low Arctic. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rolf A. Ims Siw T. Killengreen Dorothee Ehrich Øystein Flagstad Sandra Hamel John-André Henden Ingrid Jensvoll Nigel G. Yoccoz |
author_facet |
Rolf A. Ims Siw T. Killengreen Dorothee Ehrich Øystein Flagstad Sandra Hamel John-André Henden Ingrid Jensvoll Nigel G. Yoccoz |
author_sort |
Rolf A. Ims |
title |
Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
title_short |
Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
title_full |
Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ecosystem drivers of an Arctic fox population at the western fringe of the Eurasian Arctic |
title_sort |
ecosystem drivers of an arctic fox population at the western fringe of the eurasian arctic |
publisher |
Norwegian Polar Institute |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/article/4dee1453375a4a168f06018f1118d4c7 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Fox Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian Polar Research Tundra Varanger |
genre_facet |
Arctic Fox Arctic Fennoscandia Fennoscandian Polar Research Tundra Varanger |
op_source |
Polar Research, Vol 36, Iss 0 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/toc/1751-8369 1751-8369 doi:10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 https://doaj.org/article/4dee1453375a4a168f06018f1118d4c7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1323621 |
container_title |
Polar Research |
container_volume |
36 |
container_issue |
sup1 |
container_start_page |
8 |
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1766304740448141312 |