Reconstructing the Summer Diet of Wolves in a Complex Multi-Ungulate System in Northern Manitoba, Canada

• Main Author: Moayeri, Michelle
• Other Authors: Baydack, Rick (Environment and Geography), Walker, David (Environment and Geography) Roth, James (Biological Sciences)
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: wolves; stable isotope analysis; moose; caribou; ecology; diet; Canada; Canis lupus; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/18725

Understanding wolf (Canis lupus) food habits provides critical information for boreal woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou; forest-dwelling ecotype) recovery strategies. By incorporating the stable isotope ratios of different caribou ecotypes into a stable isotope mixing model, I determined the relative importance of boreal woodland caribou in the summer diet of wolves in northern Manitoba, Canada. Boreal woodland caribou were primary summer prey for wolves collected in winter in registered trapline (RTL) districts where these caribou are considered rare, suggesting migratory behaviour in some wolves. Moose were primary prey in other RTL districts, followed by boreal woodland caribou, with beaver providing important contributions. Recovery strategies for woodland caribou should investigate annual wolf, caribou, and moose movement in the region to complement these findings and gain a better insight into this complex ecosystem. May 2013