Understanding the long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of the Taimyr Reindeer Herd during the summer concentration period
This study was part of a larger research effort devoted to investigation of spatiotemporal patterns and dynamics of the Taimyr Reindeer Herd (TRH) migration under changing climate and environmental conditions. The research aimed to systematize and analyze available historical (archival) data on wild...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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UNI ScholarWorks
2014
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| Online Access: | https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/46 https://scholarworks.uni.edu/context/etd/article/1046/viewcontent/Understanding_the_long_term_spatiotemporal_dynamics_of_the_Taimyr_Reindeer_Herd.pdf |
| Summary: | This study was part of a larger research effort devoted to investigation of spatiotemporal patterns and dynamics of the Taimyr Reindeer Herd (TRH) migration under changing climate and environmental conditions. The research aimed to systematize and analyze available historical (archival) data on wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.) migration and ecosystems change in the Taimyr Peninsula, Russia. The summer concentration patterns of the TRH as observed from 1969-2009 were investigated through the utilization of existing and innovative spatioanalytic methods and advanced GIS technologies not previously used to examine R. tarandus migration in the Russian Arctic. The project applied and tested the concepts of spatial fidelity and spatial shift as described for other R. tarandus populations, as well as mapped and identified spatiotemporal trends of summer ground selection by the TRH. An exploratory analysis of climate and ecosystem factors which influenced the spatial selection process was also conducted. Statistical and empirical results of the study generally confirmed preliminary conclusions which were largely based on field observations. Multiyear patterns within locations of summer grounds are indicative of spatial fidelity and spatial shift. The analysis contributed new findings about spatiotemporal patterns by identifying a northeast shift, not observed in the past, which significantly added to the existing knowledge base. Western concentrations are losing animals while central and eastern concentrations are developing and getting larger; however, the population of the TRH is decreasing as a whole. Distribution of summer concentration grounds formed a statistically compact, normal distribution, while simultaneously the distance between concentration grounds of consecutively observed summers is increasing. The TRH are reusing smaller percentages of their range from year to year, and summer concentrations are becoming more compact and more densely populated. Four distinct areas have been identified and as areas ... |
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