A review of reindeer lichen (Cladonia subgenus Cladina) linear growth rates

McMullin, Richard Troy; Rapai, Sean B.

doi:10.7557/2.40.1.4636

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(58 reference statements)

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“…Resources and environmental conditions tend to be more heterogeneous and unpredictable, but widespread, in the winter and late summer seasons than calving and insect relief seasons. In winter, patchily distributed and slow‐growing terricolous lichens comprise over 70% of the diet of barren‐ground caribou (Joly, 2011; Joly & Cameron, 2018; McMullin & Rapai, 2020). Lichen patches are vulnerable to wildfires and grazing when caribou densities are high, further increasing their patchiness across the landscape (Joly et al., 2010; Moser et al., 1979).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal patterns of spatial fidelity and temporal consistency in the distribution and movements of a migratory ungulate

Joly

Gurarie

Hansen

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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How animals use their range can have physiological, ecological, and demographic repercussions, as well as impact management decisions, species conservation, and human society. Fidelity, the predictable return to certain places, can improve fitness if it is associated with high‐quality habitat or helps enable individuals to locate heterogenous patches of higher‐quality habitat within a lower‐quality habitat matrix. Our goal was to quantify patterns of fidelity at different spatial scales to better understand the relative plasticity of habitat use of a vital subsistence species that undergoes long‐distance migrations. We analyzed a decade (2010–2019) of GPS data from 240 adult, female Western Arctic Herd (WAH) caribou (Rangifer tarandus) from northwest Alaska, U.S.A. We assessed fidelity at 2 spatial scales: to site‐specific locations within seasonal ranges and to regions within the herd's entire range by using 2 different null datasets. We assessed both area and consistency of use during 6 different seasons of the year. We also assessed the temporal consistency of migration and calving events. At the scale of the overall range, we found that caribou fidelity was greatest during the calving and insect relief (early summer) seasons, where the herd tended to maximally aggregate in the smallest area, and lowest in winter when the seasonal range is largest. However, even in seasons with lower fidelity, we found that caribou still showed fidelity to certain regions within the herd's range. Within those seasonal ranges, however, there was little individual site‐specific fidelity from year to year, with the exception of summer periods. Temporally, we found that over 90% of caribou gave birth within 7 days of the day they gave birth the previous year. This revealed fairly high temporal consistency, especially given the spatial and temporal variability of spring migration. Fall migration exhibited greater temporal variability than spring migration. Our results support the hypothesis that higher fidelity to seasonal ranges is related to greater environmental and resource predictability. Interestingly, this fidelity was stronger at larger scales and at the population level. Almost the entire herd would seek out these areas with predictable resources, and then, individuals would vary their use, likely in response to annually varying conditions. During seasons with lower presumed spatial and/or temporal predictability of resources, population‐level fidelity was lower but individual fidelity was higher. The herd would be more spread out during the seasons of low‐resource predictability, leading to lower fidelity at the scale of their entire range, but individuals could be closer to locations they used the previous year, leading to greater individual fidelity, perhaps resulting from memory of a successful outcome the previous year. Our results also suggest that fidelity in 1 season is related to fidelity in the subsequent season. We hypothesize that some differences in patterns of range fidelity may be driven by seasonal...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal patterns of spatial fidelity and temporal consistency in the distribution and movements of a migratory ungulate

Joly

Gurarie

Hansen

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…While the results of this study are clear with respect to survival and cover occupancy in the immediate post-fire period, we did not examine the growth rate of the transplanted lichens in this study. A review by McMullin and Rapai (2020) indicate that the average linear growth rate of Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis and Cladonia rangiferina is 4.7 and 5.1 mm/year, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cladonia subgenus Cladina lichens have a fruticose growth habit (Brodo et al 2001), and are slow growing, with mean linear growth rates of 4.7 mm/year and 5.1 mm/year for Cladonia arbuscula ssp. mitis and Cladonia rangiferina , respectively (McMullin & Rapai 2020). Cladonia subgenus Cladina reproduces asexually through fragmentation, and the fragments are then distributed by wind, rain, and wildlife (Brodo et al 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial lichen caribou forage transplant success: year 5 and 6 results

Rapai¹,

McColl²,

Collis³

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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The southern mountain caribou—a subpopulation of caribou found in British Columbia—is listed on Schedule 1 of the Federal Species at Risk Act as Threatened. Woodland caribou are diet specialists, relying on Cladonia subgenus Cladina lichen as a primary food source during winter months. Lichens are burned along with trees and other vegetation during stand‐replacing wildfire events, a natural disturbance in caribou ranges. In an attempt to accelerate the return of post‐fire forests to productive caribou winter terrestrial lichen habitat, this study examined the survival and cover of three species of transplanted lichens in a post‐wildfire environment in north central British Columbia, Canada, both with and without forest litter amendments. Chlorophyll fluorescence was used to evaluate lichen survival by measuring potential photosynthetic activity. The results of this study demonstrate that transplanted fragments and mats of Cladonia subgenus Cladina had survived 5 and 6 years after being transplanted within a post‐wildfire environment, and had significantly greater percent cover when compared to the controls. The Fv/Fm results indicated that transplanted lichens survived, regardless of species, propagule type, or whether amendments were applied.

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