Multi-scale foraging decisions made by woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in summer

• Main Authors: McNeill, Eric Peter, Thompson, Ian, Wiebe, Philip A, Street, Garrett M, Shuter, Jennifer, Rodgers, Arthur R, Fryxell, John M
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2020
• Subjects: Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/100329; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2019-0197

Multi-scale selection patterns can be understood from two perspectives: coarse scale patterns as the summation of fine scale patterns (scaling-up), or as a hierarchy produced from multiple contributory factors with differential effects on organismal fitness (hierarchical). We examined caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou Gmelin, 1788) selection of foraging locations across two spatiotemporal scales to test whether selection patterns between them were consistent (scaling-up) or different (hierarchical) to determine which framework most accurately describes their foraging behaviour. Seven adult female caribou were equipped with GPS telemetry radio-collars outfitted with high definition video cameras that recorded caribou foraging choices throughout the summer. Fine-scale data from videos combined with direct measurements in the field along movement trajectories obtained from GPS fixes were used to estimate (1) feeding station selection and (2) food patch selection. We estimated resource selection functions for each scale following a used/available structure. Woodland caribou exhibited resource selection at both scales. Apart from selection for the lichen Cladina spp. ((Nyl.) Nyl.) as well as patches associated with high Cladina abundance, few patterns were consistent across both scales. Our study suggests that even at very fine scales, caribou selection for foraging locations is hierarchical in nature. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.