Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations
The Arctic has been warming rapidly, affecting ecological processes across the region. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a keystone Arctic species undergoing declines in many parts of its range, but definitive links between climate and populations remain elusive. The conspicuous and dramat...
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ftpubman:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_3193745 2023-08-27T04:07:36+02:00 Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations Gurarie, E. Hebblewhite, M. Joly, K. Kelly, A. Adamczewski, J. Davidson, S. Davison, T. Gunn, A. Suitor, M. Fagan, W. Boelman, N. 2019-12-12 http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-AA7F-E unknown info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2971 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2150-8925 http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-AA7F-E Ecosphere info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2019 ftpubman https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2971 2023-08-02T00:12:47Z The Arctic has been warming rapidly, affecting ecological processes across the region. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a keystone Arctic species undergoing declines in many parts of its range, but definitive links between climate and populations remain elusive. The conspicuous and dramatic mass migration of many caribou populations, during which nearly all pregnant females move from wintering ranges to calving grounds shortly before giving birth, may be an important link between climate and caribou populations. The drivers of migration, however, are similarly mysterious. It is unknown, for example, whether caribou respond to immediate phenological cues, anticipate conditions on calving grounds, or are driven by lagged effects related to physical condition. To investigate the drivers of migration, we analyzed movement data from over 1000 individual caribou from seven major herds, spanning 3000 km across Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories (NWT), and Nunavut in Canada, from 1995 to 2017. We developed a hierarchical model to estimate migration departure and arrival times, and analyzed these variables against global climate indices and local weather conditions, exploring immediate and lagged effects, as well as snowmelt timing and vegetation indices. We discovered a continent-wide synchrony in spring migration departure times, driven mainly by large-scale, ocean-driven climate indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation). However, we also found that the speed of migration was highly plastic with later migration departure times followed by shorter migration durations. This plasticity made arrival timing independent of departure timing and its respective drivers. Rather, arrival timing depended strongly on weather conditions from the previous summer: cooler and windier summers generally led to earlier arrival at calving grounds the following year. We suggest that maternal body condition, mainly influenced by conditions that limit insect harassment, is a major ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Northwest Territories Nunavut Rangifer tarandus Alaska Yukon Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe Arctic Canada Northwest Territories Nunavut Pacific Yukon Ecosphere 10 12 |
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Open Polar |
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Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe |
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ftpubman |
language |
unknown |
description |
The Arctic has been warming rapidly, affecting ecological processes across the region. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is a keystone Arctic species undergoing declines in many parts of its range, but definitive links between climate and populations remain elusive. The conspicuous and dramatic mass migration of many caribou populations, during which nearly all pregnant females move from wintering ranges to calving grounds shortly before giving birth, may be an important link between climate and caribou populations. The drivers of migration, however, are similarly mysterious. It is unknown, for example, whether caribou respond to immediate phenological cues, anticipate conditions on calving grounds, or are driven by lagged effects related to physical condition. To investigate the drivers of migration, we analyzed movement data from over 1000 individual caribou from seven major herds, spanning 3000 km across Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories (NWT), and Nunavut in Canada, from 1995 to 2017. We developed a hierarchical model to estimate migration departure and arrival times, and analyzed these variables against global climate indices and local weather conditions, exploring immediate and lagged effects, as well as snowmelt timing and vegetation indices. We discovered a continent-wide synchrony in spring migration departure times, driven mainly by large-scale, ocean-driven climate indices (Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation). However, we also found that the speed of migration was highly plastic with later migration departure times followed by shorter migration durations. This plasticity made arrival timing independent of departure timing and its respective drivers. Rather, arrival timing depended strongly on weather conditions from the previous summer: cooler and windier summers generally led to earlier arrival at calving grounds the following year. We suggest that maternal body condition, mainly influenced by conditions that limit insect harassment, is a major ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gurarie, E. Hebblewhite, M. Joly, K. Kelly, A. Adamczewski, J. Davidson, S. Davison, T. Gunn, A. Suitor, M. Fagan, W. Boelman, N. |
spellingShingle |
Gurarie, E. Hebblewhite, M. Joly, K. Kelly, A. Adamczewski, J. Davidson, S. Davison, T. Gunn, A. Suitor, M. Fagan, W. Boelman, N. Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
author_facet |
Gurarie, E. Hebblewhite, M. Joly, K. Kelly, A. Adamczewski, J. Davidson, S. Davison, T. Gunn, A. Suitor, M. Fagan, W. Boelman, N. |
author_sort |
Gurarie, E. |
title |
Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
title_short |
Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
title_full |
Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
title_fullStr |
Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tactical departures and strategic arrivals: Divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
title_sort |
tactical departures and strategic arrivals: divergent effects of climate and weather on caribou spring migrations |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-AA7F-E |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Northwest Territories Nunavut Pacific Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Northwest Territories Nunavut Pacific Yukon |
genre |
Arctic North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Northwest Territories Nunavut Rangifer tarandus Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Arctic North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Northwest Territories Nunavut Rangifer tarandus Alaska Yukon |
op_source |
Ecosphere |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/ecs2.2971 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/2150-8925 http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0005-AA7F-E |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2971 |
container_title |
Ecosphere |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
12 |
_version_ |
1775348357515968512 |