As with many ungulates inhabiting areas with potentially deep snow, winter is an important season for mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus (de Blainville, 1816)) and is characterized by restricted movements and high juvenile mortality. We examined winter habitat selection and wintering strategies by mountain goats in two adjacent areas of southeastern British Columbia characterized by deep, moist snow and by shallow, dry snow. Fifteen GPS collars were placed on mountain goats in each area over two winters. Winter-range size did not differ between areas and comprised, on average, 2.2%–7.4% of male home range and 8.0%–14.1% of female home range. Topographic variables dominated habitat model selection. At the broad scale, mountain goats in both areas selected winter ranges closer to escape terrain on warmer aspects that contained lesser amounts of mature dense forest. At the fine scale, mountain goats in both areas selected rugged habitat at upper mid-elevations and on warmer aspects. Alpine areas were avoided in the deep snow area and selected in the shallow snow area. No selection for mature forests was observed in either area. Mountain goats, therefore, appeared to utilize open, high-elevation habitats in shallow snow zones, but they did not seek reduced snow levels in mature forest stands in deep snow areas.
Winter range has been identified as an important component of moose ( Alces alces (L., 1758)) conservation in managed forests, yet there have been few studies on habitat associations in montane ecosystems. We investigated habitat selection by moose at landscape and stand scales during late winter in southeastern British Columbia using global positioning system (GPS) collars on 24 adult moose cows in each of two winters. The strongest determinant of late-winter range at the landscape scale was decreasing elevation, while moose also selected for areas of gentler slopes and higher solar insolation. Elevation likely is a surrogate for snow depth, which is probably the primary causative factor influencing late-winter distribution of moose. Within late-winter range, topographic variables had little influence on moose habitat selection. Lower crown closure was the strongest determinant of stand-scale selection, although the resultant model was weak. We found no disproportionate selection for stands with high crown closure, and there was little evidence for greater use of cover stands with increasing snow as winter progressed. Within late-winter range, moose selected forage habitats (42% use vs. 30% availability) over cover habitats (22% use vs. 37% availability). The delineation of late-winter moose range can be based on snow depth, or elevation as its surrogate.
Wildfires play a key role in shaping the boreal forest landscape, yet the response of wildlife to the patchy mosaics they create is poorly understood. We studied songbirds 5–6 years post-fire in a large burn (9600 ha) in the boreal mixed wood forest of north-eastern Alberta. In the spring of 1995 and 1996 we estimated abundance of songbirds in four areas, each with four replicate sites: unburned patches within the fire (Isolates); burned patches (Burns); patches that had been clear-cut prior to burning by wildfire (Cut-Burns); and the unburned, continuous forest adjacent to the burn (Peripherals). We also sampled shrub-based arthropods with sweep-nets at each site. To investigate the role of Isolates, we compared them to Peripherals and to Burns. We compared Cut-Burns to Burns to examine the effect of logging prior to burning. In general, Isolates supported higher numbers of species and individuals than Peripherals, mainly due to higher numbers of aerial-foraging birds. Isolates and Burns had similar species richness and abundance, but Burns supported more aerial foragers while Isolates had more foliage gleaners. Cut-Burns generally supported fewer individuals than Burns, in particular fewer shrub-nesters, aerial foragers, and neotropical migrants. More bird species reached their highest densities in Burns than in any other area. Songbird species richness and abundance were positively related to dry arthropod biomass, with Burns and Isolates having the highest arthropod biomass. These patterns indicated that, 5–6 years post-burn, the patchy mosaic created by this wildfire supported more species than the mature forest surrounding the fire. Clear-cut logging prior to burning resulted in a diminished songbird community compared to that found in burned stands.
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