Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour?
The impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the fitness of prey should depend on the relative effect of human activities on different trophic levels. This verification remains rare, however, especially for large animals. We investigated the functional link between habitat selection of female caribou...
Published in: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479810 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951736 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 |
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:3479810 2023-05-15T15:50:33+02:00 Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? Dussault, Christian Pinard, Véronique Ouellet, Jean-Pierre Courtois, Réhaume Fortin, Daniel 2012-11-07 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479810 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951736 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 en eng The Royal Society http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479810 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951736 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society Research Articles Text 2012 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 2013-11-10T01:22:12Z The impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the fitness of prey should depend on the relative effect of human activities on different trophic levels. This verification remains rare, however, especially for large animals. We investigated the functional link between habitat selection of female caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and the survival of their calves, a fitness correlate. This top-down controlled population of the threatened forest-dwelling caribou inhabits a managed forest occupied by wolves (Canis lupus) and black bears (Ursus americanus). Sixty-one per cent of calves died from bear predation within two months following their birth. Variation in habitat selection tactics among mothers resulted in different mortality risks for their calves. When calves occupied areas with few deciduous trees, they were more likely to die from predation if the local road density was high. Although caribou are typically associated with pristine forests, females selected recent cutovers without negative impact on calf survival. This selection became detrimental, however, as regeneration took place in harvested stands owing to increased bear predation. We demonstrate that human disturbance has asymmetrical consequences on the trophic levels of a food web involving multiple large mammals, which resulted in habitat selection tactics with a greater short-term fitness payoff and, therefore, with higher evolutionary opportunity. Text Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus PubMed Central (PMC) Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 279 1746 4481 4488 |
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Research Articles |
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Research Articles Dussault, Christian Pinard, Véronique Ouellet, Jean-Pierre Courtois, Réhaume Fortin, Daniel Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
topic_facet |
Research Articles |
description |
The impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the fitness of prey should depend on the relative effect of human activities on different trophic levels. This verification remains rare, however, especially for large animals. We investigated the functional link between habitat selection of female caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and the survival of their calves, a fitness correlate. This top-down controlled population of the threatened forest-dwelling caribou inhabits a managed forest occupied by wolves (Canis lupus) and black bears (Ursus americanus). Sixty-one per cent of calves died from bear predation within two months following their birth. Variation in habitat selection tactics among mothers resulted in different mortality risks for their calves. When calves occupied areas with few deciduous trees, they were more likely to die from predation if the local road density was high. Although caribou are typically associated with pristine forests, females selected recent cutovers without negative impact on calf survival. This selection became detrimental, however, as regeneration took place in harvested stands owing to increased bear predation. We demonstrate that human disturbance has asymmetrical consequences on the trophic levels of a food web involving multiple large mammals, which resulted in habitat selection tactics with a greater short-term fitness payoff and, therefore, with higher evolutionary opportunity. |
format |
Text |
author |
Dussault, Christian Pinard, Véronique Ouellet, Jean-Pierre Courtois, Réhaume Fortin, Daniel |
author_facet |
Dussault, Christian Pinard, Véronique Ouellet, Jean-Pierre Courtois, Réhaume Fortin, Daniel |
author_sort |
Dussault, Christian |
title |
Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
title_short |
Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
title_full |
Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
title_fullStr |
Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
title_sort |
avoidance of roads and selection for recent cutovers by threatened caribou: fitness-rewarding or maladaptive behaviour? |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479810 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951736 https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 |
genre |
Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3479810 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22951736 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 |
op_rights |
This journal is © 2012 The Royal Society |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1700 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |
container_volume |
279 |
container_issue |
1746 |
container_start_page |
4481 |
op_container_end_page |
4488 |
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1766385528244011008 |