An application of upscaled optimal foraging theory using hidden Markov modelling: year-round behavioural variation in a large arctic herbivore

• Published in: Movement Ecology
• Main Authors: Beumer, Larissa T., Pohle, Jennifer, Schmidt, Niels M., Chimienti, Marianna, Desforges, Jean-Pierre, Hansen, Lars H., Langrock, Roland, Pedersen, Stine Højlund, Stelvig, Mikkel, van Beest, Floris M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Activity budgets; Arctic ungulate; Behavioural state classification; Hidden Markov modelling; Optimal foraging theory; Seasonality; Arctic; ovibos moschatus
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/7d90f467-684e-401c-ae45-a71c927c1bfb; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-020-00213-x; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85086771235&partnerID=8YFLogxK

In highly seasonal environments, animals face critical decisions regarding time allocation, diet optimisation, and habitat use. In the Arctic, the short summers are crucial for replenishing body reserves, while low food availability and increased energetic demands characterise the long winters (9–10 months). Under such extreme seasonal variability, even small deviations from optimal time allocation can markedly impact individuals’ condition, reproductive success and survival. We investigated which environmental conditions influenced daily, seasonal, and interannual variation in time allocation in high-arctic muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and evaluated whether results support qualitative predictions derived from upscaled optimal foraging theory.