Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate
We used a geographic information system and a Markov chain analysis to model vegetation succession on the Copper River Delta, Alaska, relative to moose (Alces alces) habitat availability and nutritional carrying capacity. Between 1959 and 1986 vegetation predominantly shifted from pioneer to later s...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Rangeland Ecology & Management / Journal of Range Management Archives
2006
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202 |
id |
ftunivarizonaojs:oai:journals.uair.arizona.edu:article/19202 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivarizonaojs:oai:journals.uair.arizona.edu:article/19202 2023-05-15T13:13:27+02:00 Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate Stephenson, Thomas R. Ballenbergbe, Visctor Van Peek, James M. MacGracken, James G. 2006-07-01 application/pdf https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202 eng eng Rangeland Ecology & Management / Journal of Range Management Archives https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202/18847 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202 Rangeland Ecology & Management / Journal of Range Management Archives; Vol 59, No 4 (2006); 359-372 1550-7424 0022-409X info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2006 ftunivarizonaojs 2020-11-14T17:53:00Z We used a geographic information system and a Markov chain analysis to model vegetation succession on the Copper River Delta, Alaska, relative to moose (Alces alces) habitat availability and nutritional carrying capacity. Between 1959 and 1986 vegetation predominantly shifted from pioneer to later successional communities as a result of glacial retreat and earthquake uplift. Hypothesized vectors of vegetation composition in future decades indicate a trend toward an increase in late-successional communities. A decline in glacier-related disturbance has reduced the level of retrogression that maintains early successional communities in the outwash plain. In addition, landscape heterogeneity increased significantly between 1959 and 1986, particularly in the uplifted marsh. Winter severity was highly variable among years and was correlated with a shift in the location of moose wintering areas. As winter severity increased, there was increased use of the glacial outwash plain landform and its associated plant communities. Successional modeling suggests a decline in the availability of vegetation types impor- tant to moose during severe winters with deep snow. Low willow (Salix spp.) communities are expanding in the uplifted marsh, a landform used primarily during summer and mild winters. However, tall willow communities that provide winter forage are declining and are being replaced by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong] Carr) forest in the glacial outwash plain. Consequently, nutritional carrying capacity of moose on the outwash plain during winter will decline by 42% during 1959–2013. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_jrm_v59i4_stephenson Article in Journal/Newspaper Alces alces glacier Alaska Journals at the University of Arizona Carr ENVELOPE(130.717,130.717,-66.117,-66.117) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Journals at the University of Arizona |
op_collection_id |
ftunivarizonaojs |
language |
English |
description |
We used a geographic information system and a Markov chain analysis to model vegetation succession on the Copper River Delta, Alaska, relative to moose (Alces alces) habitat availability and nutritional carrying capacity. Between 1959 and 1986 vegetation predominantly shifted from pioneer to later successional communities as a result of glacial retreat and earthquake uplift. Hypothesized vectors of vegetation composition in future decades indicate a trend toward an increase in late-successional communities. A decline in glacier-related disturbance has reduced the level of retrogression that maintains early successional communities in the outwash plain. In addition, landscape heterogeneity increased significantly between 1959 and 1986, particularly in the uplifted marsh. Winter severity was highly variable among years and was correlated with a shift in the location of moose wintering areas. As winter severity increased, there was increased use of the glacial outwash plain landform and its associated plant communities. Successional modeling suggests a decline in the availability of vegetation types impor- tant to moose during severe winters with deep snow. Low willow (Salix spp.) communities are expanding in the uplifted marsh, a landform used primarily during summer and mild winters. However, tall willow communities that provide winter forage are declining and are being replaced by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong] Carr) forest in the glacial outwash plain. Consequently, nutritional carrying capacity of moose on the outwash plain during winter will decline by 42% during 1959–2013. https://doi.org/10.2458/azu_jrm_v59i4_stephenson |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Stephenson, Thomas R. Ballenbergbe, Visctor Van Peek, James M. MacGracken, James G. |
spellingShingle |
Stephenson, Thomas R. Ballenbergbe, Visctor Van Peek, James M. MacGracken, James G. Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
author_facet |
Stephenson, Thomas R. Ballenbergbe, Visctor Van Peek, James M. MacGracken, James G. |
author_sort |
Stephenson, Thomas R. |
title |
Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
title_short |
Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
title_full |
Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
title_fullStr |
Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spatio-Temporal Constraints on Moose Habitat and Carrying Capacity in Coastal Alaska: Vegetation Succession and Climate |
title_sort |
spatio-temporal constraints on moose habitat and carrying capacity in coastal alaska: vegetation succession and climate |
publisher |
Rangeland Ecology & Management / Journal of Range Management Archives |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(130.717,130.717,-66.117,-66.117) |
geographic |
Carr |
geographic_facet |
Carr |
genre |
Alces alces glacier Alaska |
genre_facet |
Alces alces glacier Alaska |
op_source |
Rangeland Ecology & Management / Journal of Range Management Archives; Vol 59, No 4 (2006); 359-372 1550-7424 0022-409X |
op_relation |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202/18847 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jrm/article/view/19202 |
_version_ |
1766258426072006656 |