A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada
Mountain caribou are an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) that live in highprecipitation, mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia and northern Idaho. The distribution and abundance of these caribou have declined dramatically from historical figures. R...
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Septentrio Academic Publishing
2008
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7557/2.28.1.150 https://doaj.org/article/e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 2023-05-15T15:53:26+02:00 A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada Robert Serrouya Bruce N. McLellan Clayton D. Apps Heiko U. Wittmer 2008-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7557/2.28.1.150 https://doaj.org/article/e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 EN eng Septentrio Academic Publishing https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/150 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.28.1.150 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 Rangifer, Vol 28, Iss 1 (2008) caribou endangered species landscape lichen predation old-growth forest Animal culture SF1-1100 article 2008 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7557/2.28.1.150 2022-12-31T09:13:32Z Mountain caribou are an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) that live in highprecipitation, mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia and northern Idaho. The distribution and abundance of these caribou have declined dramatically from historical figures. Results from many studies have indicated that mountain caribou rely on old conifer forests for several life-history requirements including an abundance of their primary winter food, arboreal lichen, and a scarcity of other ungulates and their predators. These old forests often have high timber value, and understanding mountain caribou ecology at a variety of spatial scales is thus required to develop effective conservation strategies. Here we summarize results of studies conducted at three different spatial scales ranging from broad limiting factors at the population level to studies describing the selection of feeding sites within seasonal home ranges of individuals. The goal of this multi-scale review is to provide a more complete picture of caribou ecology and to determine possible shifts in limiting factors across scales. Our review produced two important results. First, mountain caribou select old forests and old trees at all spatial scales, signifying their importance for foraging opportunities as well as conditions required to avoid alternate ungulates and their predators. Second, relationships differ across scales. For example, landscapes dominated by roads and edges negatively affect caribou survival, but appear to attract caribou during certain times of the year. This juxtaposition of fine-scale behaviour with broad-scale vulnerability to predation could only be identified through integrated multi-scale analyses of resource selection. Consequently we suggest that effective management strategies for endangered species require an integrative approach across multiple spatial scales to avoid a focus that may be too narrow to maintain viable populations. Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Skala-avhengig økologi ... Article in Journal/Newspaper caribou Rangifer Rangifer tarandus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles British Columbia ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) Canada Rangifer 28 1 33 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
caribou endangered species landscape lichen predation old-growth forest Animal culture SF1-1100 |
spellingShingle |
caribou endangered species landscape lichen predation old-growth forest Animal culture SF1-1100 Robert Serrouya Bruce N. McLellan Clayton D. Apps Heiko U. Wittmer A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
topic_facet |
caribou endangered species landscape lichen predation old-growth forest Animal culture SF1-1100 |
description |
Mountain caribou are an endangered ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) that live in highprecipitation, mountainous ecosystems of southeastern British Columbia and northern Idaho. The distribution and abundance of these caribou have declined dramatically from historical figures. Results from many studies have indicated that mountain caribou rely on old conifer forests for several life-history requirements including an abundance of their primary winter food, arboreal lichen, and a scarcity of other ungulates and their predators. These old forests often have high timber value, and understanding mountain caribou ecology at a variety of spatial scales is thus required to develop effective conservation strategies. Here we summarize results of studies conducted at three different spatial scales ranging from broad limiting factors at the population level to studies describing the selection of feeding sites within seasonal home ranges of individuals. The goal of this multi-scale review is to provide a more complete picture of caribou ecology and to determine possible shifts in limiting factors across scales. Our review produced two important results. First, mountain caribou select old forests and old trees at all spatial scales, signifying their importance for foraging opportunities as well as conditions required to avoid alternate ungulates and their predators. Second, relationships differ across scales. For example, landscapes dominated by roads and edges negatively affect caribou survival, but appear to attract caribou during certain times of the year. This juxtaposition of fine-scale behaviour with broad-scale vulnerability to predation could only be identified through integrated multi-scale analyses of resource selection. Consequently we suggest that effective management strategies for endangered species require an integrative approach across multiple spatial scales to avoid a focus that may be too narrow to maintain viable populations. Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Skala-avhengig økologi ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Robert Serrouya Bruce N. McLellan Clayton D. Apps Heiko U. Wittmer |
author_facet |
Robert Serrouya Bruce N. McLellan Clayton D. Apps Heiko U. Wittmer |
author_sort |
Robert Serrouya |
title |
A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
title_short |
A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
title_full |
A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
title_fullStr |
A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
A synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in British Columbia, Canada |
title_sort |
synthesis of scale-dependent ecology of the endangered mountain caribou in british columbia, canada |
publisher |
Septentrio Academic Publishing |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.28.1.150 https://doaj.org/article/e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) |
geographic |
British Columbia Canada |
geographic_facet |
British Columbia Canada |
genre |
caribou Rangifer Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
caribou Rangifer Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Rangifer, Vol 28, Iss 1 (2008) |
op_relation |
https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/150 https://doaj.org/toc/1890-6729 doi:10.7557/2.28.1.150 1890-6729 https://doaj.org/article/e5875b4cb015412da76fdc81d8fe9883 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7557/2.28.1.150 |
container_title |
Rangifer |
container_volume |
28 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
33 |
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1766388553277767680 |