Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration
Climate change is altering Canada’s western Arctic, including hydrology in the heterogeneous environment of the Mackenzie Delta, and these changes are impacting biotic communities. Muskrats are culturally important semi-aquatic rodents whose populations may respond to changing water levels in this r...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2020
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ecb9aced091e42529ee7357770af4235 2023-05-15T14:23:39+02:00 Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration Chanda K. Turner Trevor C. Lantz Jason T. Fisher 2020-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 https://doaj.org/article/ecb9aced091e42529ee7357770af4235 EN FR eng fre Canadian Science Publishing https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2018-0017 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/ecb9aced091e42529ee7357770af4235 Arctic Science, Vol 6, Iss 2, Pp 77-94 (2020) arctic muskrat heterogeneity mackenzie delta hydrology Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 2022-12-31T06:48:48Z Climate change is altering Canada’s western Arctic, including hydrology in the heterogeneous environment of the Mackenzie Delta, and these changes are impacting biotic communities. Muskrats are culturally important semi-aquatic rodents whose populations may respond to changing water levels in this region. We investigated the importance of patch configuration and patch composition — two properties affected by climate change — on muskrat presence and distribution in the Mackenzie Delta, using remote sensing and field-based surveys of lakes with and without muskrats. We tested multiple hypotheses about predictors of muskrat and forage biomass presence using a model-selection approach. We found that configuration and patch composition explained muskrat distribution in the Mackenzie Delta, with composition being of greater importance. Muskrats were more likely to occur in lakes with longer perimeters, higher amounts of forage biomass, and sediment characteristics that supported macrophyte growth. The latter two conditions are related to spring flooding regimes, which will likely be altered by climate change. This may result in a decrease in muskrat habitat in the Mackenzie Delta. Our research indicates that both patch composition and configuration are important for understanding species distributions in heterogeneous environments. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Climate change Mackenzie Delta Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Mackenzie Delta ENVELOPE(-136.672,-136.672,68.833,68.833) Arctic Science 6 2 77 94 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English French |
topic |
arctic muskrat heterogeneity mackenzie delta hydrology Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
spellingShingle |
arctic muskrat heterogeneity mackenzie delta hydrology Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 Chanda K. Turner Trevor C. Lantz Jason T. Fisher Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
topic_facet |
arctic muskrat heterogeneity mackenzie delta hydrology Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
description |
Climate change is altering Canada’s western Arctic, including hydrology in the heterogeneous environment of the Mackenzie Delta, and these changes are impacting biotic communities. Muskrats are culturally important semi-aquatic rodents whose populations may respond to changing water levels in this region. We investigated the importance of patch configuration and patch composition — two properties affected by climate change — on muskrat presence and distribution in the Mackenzie Delta, using remote sensing and field-based surveys of lakes with and without muskrats. We tested multiple hypotheses about predictors of muskrat and forage biomass presence using a model-selection approach. We found that configuration and patch composition explained muskrat distribution in the Mackenzie Delta, with composition being of greater importance. Muskrats were more likely to occur in lakes with longer perimeters, higher amounts of forage biomass, and sediment characteristics that supported macrophyte growth. The latter two conditions are related to spring flooding regimes, which will likely be altered by climate change. This may result in a decrease in muskrat habitat in the Mackenzie Delta. Our research indicates that both patch composition and configuration are important for understanding species distributions in heterogeneous environments. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Chanda K. Turner Trevor C. Lantz Jason T. Fisher |
author_facet |
Chanda K. Turner Trevor C. Lantz Jason T. Fisher |
author_sort |
Chanda K. Turner |
title |
Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
title_short |
Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
title_full |
Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
title_fullStr |
Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
title_full_unstemmed |
Muskrat distributions in a changing Arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
title_sort |
muskrat distributions in a changing arctic delta are explained by patch composition and configuration |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 https://doaj.org/article/ecb9aced091e42529ee7357770af4235 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-136.672,-136.672,68.833,68.833) |
geographic |
Arctic Mackenzie Delta |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Mackenzie Delta |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Climate change Mackenzie Delta |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Climate change Mackenzie Delta |
op_source |
Arctic Science, Vol 6, Iss 2, Pp 77-94 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2018-0017 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/ecb9aced091e42529ee7357770af4235 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2018-0017 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
77 |
op_container_end_page |
94 |
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1766296149311881216 |