Observation of a p < 10-9 life history event: implications of record-late caribou birth on ungulate reproductive ecology and field studies

• Main Authors: Bonar, Maegwin, Laforge, Michel P, Vander Wal, Eric
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing) 2016
• Subjects: Fogo; Fogo Island; Newfoundland; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/75585; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2016-0245

Life history traits in temperate ungulates are highly seasonal, with events corresponding to the seasonal availability of resources. An important example is birth date, with later born individuals typically having reduced survival compared to those born earlier in the season. Ungulates, especially those whose offspring that are at their motherâ s heel soon after birth, are typically born in a narrow window of time in late Mayâ early June. In Newfoundland, mean birth date in caribou (Rangifer tarandus L., 1758; n = 1175), was 31 May. Here, we document a sighting of a caribou calf born ~25 July on Fogo Island, NL (~55 days after the mean birth date). Calving date was estimated using movement rate of the mother and validated by visual observations of the mother. We discuss the implications of this finding as it pertains to caribou ecology, and suggest that studies of ungulate birth date should ensure that observations are continued well past the initial birth pulse to guarantee that a complete picture of ungulate breeding ecology be maintained. 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.