The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus)
The use of habitat by reproducing arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in relation to prey distribution was examined on the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian High Arctic during 1987-1988 and 1997-2000 by means of VHF telemetry. The distribution and abundance of the main prey species of foxes was regist...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ont.
2002
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ftufz:oai:ufz.de:5618 2023-12-10T09:39:25+01:00 The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) Jepsen, Jane Eide, N.E. Prestrud, P. Jacobsen, L.B. 2002 application/pdf https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5618 https://doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 en eng National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ont. Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne de Zoologie 80 (3);; 418 - 429 https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5618 https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess ISSN: 0008-4301 info:eu-repo/semantics/article https://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text 2002 ftufz https://doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 2023-11-12T23:29:14Z The use of habitat by reproducing arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in relation to prey distribution was examined on the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian High Arctic during 1987-1988 and 1997-2000 by means of VHF telemetry. The distribution and abundance of the main prey species of foxes was registered in 4 separate periods during summer. The availability of 9 habitat types was estimated on the basis of a classification of a Landsat-5 TM scene. Three resource areas that differed with regard to distribution and availability of prey, vegetation, and terrain were identified within the study area: (1) inland areas with no geese, (2) inland areas with geese present, and (3) coastal areas with bird cliffs. The use of resources by foxes was calculated in the 4 separate periods, as was the average speed of movement (m/h) of foxes and the distance between fox locations and their natal dens. Resource-selection functions (RSFs) calculated for individual animals showed that resource use was nonrandom and similar for foxes that lived within the same resource area. In inland areas in which resource availability was low but fairly stable (area 1), RSFs were simple and in some cases of low significance compared with a no-selection model. In inland areas with highly dynamic resources (area 2), RSFs were complex and resource use differed significantly between periods. In coastal areas (area 3), where resources were plentiful, highly concentrated, and stable, RSFs were of intermediate complexity and resource use differed less between periods. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alopex lagopus Arctic Svalbard UFZ - Publication Index (Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research) Arctic Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago Canadian Journal of Zoology 80 3 418 429 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
UFZ - Publication Index (Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research) |
op_collection_id |
ftufz |
language |
English |
description |
The use of habitat by reproducing arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in relation to prey distribution was examined on the Svalbard archipelago in the Norwegian High Arctic during 1987-1988 and 1997-2000 by means of VHF telemetry. The distribution and abundance of the main prey species of foxes was registered in 4 separate periods during summer. The availability of 9 habitat types was estimated on the basis of a classification of a Landsat-5 TM scene. Three resource areas that differed with regard to distribution and availability of prey, vegetation, and terrain were identified within the study area: (1) inland areas with no geese, (2) inland areas with geese present, and (3) coastal areas with bird cliffs. The use of resources by foxes was calculated in the 4 separate periods, as was the average speed of movement (m/h) of foxes and the distance between fox locations and their natal dens. Resource-selection functions (RSFs) calculated for individual animals showed that resource use was nonrandom and similar for foxes that lived within the same resource area. In inland areas in which resource availability was low but fairly stable (area 1), RSFs were simple and in some cases of low significance compared with a no-selection model. In inland areas with highly dynamic resources (area 2), RSFs were complex and resource use differed significantly between periods. In coastal areas (area 3), where resources were plentiful, highly concentrated, and stable, RSFs were of intermediate complexity and resource use differed less between periods. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jepsen, Jane Eide, N.E. Prestrud, P. Jacobsen, L.B. |
spellingShingle |
Jepsen, Jane Eide, N.E. Prestrud, P. Jacobsen, L.B. The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
author_facet |
Jepsen, Jane Eide, N.E. Prestrud, P. Jacobsen, L.B. |
author_sort |
Jepsen, Jane |
title |
The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
title_short |
The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
title_full |
The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
title_fullStr |
The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
title_full_unstemmed |
The importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) |
title_sort |
importance of prey distribution in habitat use by arctic foxes (alopex lagopus) |
publisher |
National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ont. |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5618 https://doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 |
geographic |
Arctic Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago |
genre |
Alopex lagopus Arctic Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Alopex lagopus Arctic Svalbard |
op_source |
ISSN: 0008-4301 |
op_relation |
https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=5618 https://dx.doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/Z02-023 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Zoology |
container_volume |
80 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
418 |
op_container_end_page |
429 |
_version_ |
1784885965641220096 |