Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou
Large-scale animal migrations influence population and community dynamics along with ecosystem functioning. The migratory coupling concept posits that movement of migrant prey can lead to large-scale movements of predators. In northern ecosystems, spatial patterns and behavioral responses of grey wo...
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ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:8360373 2024-09-15T18:01:28+00:00 Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou Michelot, Candice Leclerc, Martin Taillon, Joëlle Dussault, Christian Hénault Richard, Julien Côté, Steeve 2023-09-19 https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 unknown Zenodo https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 oai:zenodo.org:8360373 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode predator-prey interactions Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus movements Space use migration info:eu-repo/semantics/other 2023 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 2024-07-26T14:44:15Z Large-scale animal migrations influence population and community dynamics along with ecosystem functioning. The migratory coupling concept posits that movement of migrant prey can lead to large-scale movements of predators. In northern ecosystems, spatial patterns and behavioral responses of grey wolf to spatio-temporal changes in its primary prey distribution, the migratory caribou, remain poorly documented. We used a long-term GPS dataset (2011–2021) of 59 wolves and 431 migratory caribou from the declining Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (Québec, Canada) to investigate movement patterns and space use of wolves related to caribou seasonal distribution. Wolves home ranges overlapped with areas used by caribou year-round, especially in May and winter. Wolves exhibited 3 annual tactics: sedentary (17%), long-distance migration (>700 km) between wintering areas and the tundra (36%), and a medium-distance migration, stopping their northward movement near the treeline (47%). Migratory wolves started spring migration northward earlier than caribou, intercepting their prey on their way to calving grounds, but departed southward for fall migration later than caribou, tracking them on their way back to wintering areas. Wolves near or overlapping areas used by caribou exhibited lower monthly movement rates compared to wolves located further away. Overlap of home range among wolves was higher during migrations and winter but decreased in summer when wolves rear pups and caribou are dispersed on summer grounds. We provide evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou, with most wolves adjusting their space use patterns to match their primary prey distribution. Although predation pressure may affect the dynamics of declining caribou herds, the global decline of that prey may in turn impact predators on the long-term, potentially enhancing intraspecific competition for new resources. Highlighting this migratory coupling is a key step to developing appropriate conservation and management measures for ... Other/Unknown Material Canis lupus caribou Rangifer tarandus Rivière aux Feuilles Tundra Zenodo |
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Open Polar |
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topic |
predator-prey interactions Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus movements Space use migration |
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predator-prey interactions Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus movements Space use migration Michelot, Candice Leclerc, Martin Taillon, Joëlle Dussault, Christian Hénault Richard, Julien Côté, Steeve Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
topic_facet |
predator-prey interactions Canis lupus Rangifer tarandus movements Space use migration |
description |
Large-scale animal migrations influence population and community dynamics along with ecosystem functioning. The migratory coupling concept posits that movement of migrant prey can lead to large-scale movements of predators. In northern ecosystems, spatial patterns and behavioral responses of grey wolf to spatio-temporal changes in its primary prey distribution, the migratory caribou, remain poorly documented. We used a long-term GPS dataset (2011–2021) of 59 wolves and 431 migratory caribou from the declining Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (Québec, Canada) to investigate movement patterns and space use of wolves related to caribou seasonal distribution. Wolves home ranges overlapped with areas used by caribou year-round, especially in May and winter. Wolves exhibited 3 annual tactics: sedentary (17%), long-distance migration (>700 km) between wintering areas and the tundra (36%), and a medium-distance migration, stopping their northward movement near the treeline (47%). Migratory wolves started spring migration northward earlier than caribou, intercepting their prey on their way to calving grounds, but departed southward for fall migration later than caribou, tracking them on their way back to wintering areas. Wolves near or overlapping areas used by caribou exhibited lower monthly movement rates compared to wolves located further away. Overlap of home range among wolves was higher during migrations and winter but decreased in summer when wolves rear pups and caribou are dispersed on summer grounds. We provide evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou, with most wolves adjusting their space use patterns to match their primary prey distribution. Although predation pressure may affect the dynamics of declining caribou herds, the global decline of that prey may in turn impact predators on the long-term, potentially enhancing intraspecific competition for new resources. Highlighting this migratory coupling is a key step to developing appropriate conservation and management measures for ... |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Michelot, Candice Leclerc, Martin Taillon, Joëlle Dussault, Christian Hénault Richard, Julien Côté, Steeve |
author_facet |
Michelot, Candice Leclerc, Martin Taillon, Joëlle Dussault, Christian Hénault Richard, Julien Côté, Steeve |
author_sort |
Michelot, Candice |
title |
Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
title_short |
Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
title_full |
Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
title_fullStr |
Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
title_sort |
evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou |
publisher |
Zenodo |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 |
genre |
Canis lupus caribou Rangifer tarandus Rivière aux Feuilles Tundra |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus caribou Rangifer tarandus Rivière aux Feuilles Tundra |
op_relation |
https://zenodo.org/communities/dryad https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 oai:zenodo.org:8360373 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.63xsj3v81 |
_version_ |
1810438616397119488 |