Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
Facultative migration has been hypothesized as a strategy to optimize energetic gain in response to environmental fluctuations. The forest-tundra and forest-dwelling ecotypes of Ontario woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are often presumed to differ in migratory strategy, however their pot...
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University of Guelph
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ftunivguelph:oai:atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca:10214/27431 2024-06-23T07:53:34+00:00 Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Pereira, Alexis Fryxell, John 2020-12-20 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10214/27431 en eng University of Guelph https://hdl.handle.net/10214/27431 Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ woodland caribou movement ecology migration ecotype Ontario step selection Thesis 2020 ftunivguelph 2024-06-04T23:59:50Z Facultative migration has been hypothesized as a strategy to optimize energetic gain in response to environmental fluctuations. The forest-tundra and forest-dwelling ecotypes of Ontario woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are often presumed to differ in migratory strategy, however their potential for facultative migration has yet to be explored. Understanding the inherent variation of migration could help improve habitat management. We compared GPS telemetry-based movement data from 109 radio-collared caribou across northern Ontario with estimates of vegetation, snow cover, and human disturbance to identify environmental drivers associated with migration. We also evaluated whether caribou exhibited a migratory syndrome, using measures of selection and movement in comparison with movement strategies. We found evidence of facultative migration from both ecotypes, with little evidence of an overlying migratory syndrome. Both probability and distance of migration were positively correlated with snow, while only probability increased with vegetation. Plasticity in migration may suggest resilience to change. Kirkland Lake Gold Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Thesis Hudson Bay Rangifer tarandus Tundra University of Guelph: DSpace digital archive Hudson Bay Canada Hudson |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Guelph: DSpace digital archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivguelph |
language |
English |
topic |
woodland caribou movement ecology migration ecotype Ontario step selection |
spellingShingle |
woodland caribou movement ecology migration ecotype Ontario step selection Pereira, Alexis Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
topic_facet |
woodland caribou movement ecology migration ecotype Ontario step selection |
description |
Facultative migration has been hypothesized as a strategy to optimize energetic gain in response to environmental fluctuations. The forest-tundra and forest-dwelling ecotypes of Ontario woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are often presumed to differ in migratory strategy, however their potential for facultative migration has yet to be explored. Understanding the inherent variation of migration could help improve habitat management. We compared GPS telemetry-based movement data from 109 radio-collared caribou across northern Ontario with estimates of vegetation, snow cover, and human disturbance to identify environmental drivers associated with migration. We also evaluated whether caribou exhibited a migratory syndrome, using measures of selection and movement in comparison with movement strategies. We found evidence of facultative migration from both ecotypes, with little evidence of an overlying migratory syndrome. Both probability and distance of migration were positively correlated with snow, while only probability increased with vegetation. Plasticity in migration may suggest resilience to change. Kirkland Lake Gold Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
author2 |
Fryxell, John |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Pereira, Alexis |
author_facet |
Pereira, Alexis |
author_sort |
Pereira, Alexis |
title |
Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
title_short |
Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
title_full |
Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
title_fullStr |
Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Investigating Flexible Migration in Hudson Bay Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) |
title_sort |
investigating flexible migration in hudson bay woodland caribou (rangifer tarandus caribou) |
publisher |
University of Guelph |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10214/27431 |
geographic |
Hudson Bay Canada Hudson |
geographic_facet |
Hudson Bay Canada Hudson |
genre |
Hudson Bay Rangifer tarandus Tundra |
genre_facet |
Hudson Bay Rangifer tarandus Tundra |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10214/27431 |
op_rights |
Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ |
_version_ |
1802645292911165440 |