Existing evidence on the effects of climate variability and climate change on ungulates in North America: a systematic map

• Published in: Environmental Evidence
• Main Authors: Katherine C. Malpeli, Sarah C. Endyke, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura M. Thompson, Ciara G. Johnson, Katherine A. Kurth, Maxfield A. Carlin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2024
• Subjects: Climate effects; Global change; Ungulate ecology; Ungulate management; Weather; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Greenland; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-024-00331-8; https://doaj.org/article/90ad7784f06048cc9286e9e1ccb9f256

Abstract Background Climate is an important driver of ungulate life-histories, population dynamics, and migratory behaviors. Climate conditions can directly impact ungulates via changes in the costs of thermoregulation and locomotion, or indirectly, via changes in habitat and forage availability, predation, and species interactions. Many studies have documented the effects of climate variability and climate change on North America’s ungulates, recording impacts to population demographics, physiology, foraging behavior, migratory patterns, and more. However, ungulate responses are not uniform and vary by species and geography. Here, we present a systematic map describing the abundance and distribution of evidence on the effects of climate variability and climate change on native ungulates in North America. Methods We searched for all evidence documenting or projecting how climate variability and climate change affect the 15 ungulate species native to the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Greenland. We searched Web of Science, Scopus, and the websites of 62 wildlife management agencies to identify relevant academic and grey literature. We screened English-language documents for inclusion at both the title and abstract and full-text levels. Data from all articles that passed full-text review were extracted and coded in a database. We identified knowledge clusters and gaps related to the species, locations, climate variables, and outcome variables measured in the literature. Review findings We identified a total of 674 relevant articles published from 1947 until September 2020. Caribou (Rangifer tarandus), elk (Cervus canadensis), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were the most frequently studied species. Geographically, more research has been conducted in the western U.S. and western Canada, though a notable concentration of research is also located in the Great Lakes region. Nearly 75% more articles examined the effects of precipitation on ungulates compared to temperature, with variables related to snow ...