Boreal forest titans do not clash: low overlap in winter habitat selection by moose (Alces americanus) and reintroduced bison (Bison bison)

Short‐term effect of helicopter‐based capture on movements of a social ungulate

“…In 2011, the population was estimated at 1,151 (90% CI = 998–1,355) and was growing during the study period (Hegel et al ). In addition to being subject to natural ecological and evolutionary processes such as competition (Jung et al , ) and natural predation (Jung ), they were hunted by humans during winter.…”

“…We used movement data collected from free‐ranging bison ( Bison bison ) that were chemically immobilized from a helicopter and fitted with GPS‐collars to examine the short‐term effects of capture and handling on their movements. Global positioning system‐collars have previously been used on bison (Bruggeman et al , Fortin et al , Jung et al ), but effects of capture and handling on resulting data has not been investigated. Therefore, our first objective was to examine movement rates of bison after capture and handling and determine the amount of time it took for movements to return to apparent pre‐capture rates.…”

Accuracy and performance of low‐feature GPS collars deployed on bison Bison bison and caribou Rangifer tarandus

“…1): the Hart River, Klaza, Kluane, Laberge, South Nahanni, Tay River, Fortymile and Porcupine caribou herds (Hegel and Russell 2013). All bison were captured from a reintroduced population in southwestern Yukon (Jung et al 2015(Jung et al , 2018; Fig. 1) using chemical immobilants delivered via a dart fired from a helicopter (Harms et al 2018) during capture sessions in March and July 2015.…”

Individual-based seasonal habitat selection in a forest-dwelling population of reintroduced bison Bison bison

“…Research on several bison populations has revealed both similarities and differences in diet and habitat use. Bison select seasonal habitats based on food availability (Larter and Gates 1991, Fortin et al 2003, Jung et al 2018a), but their choices may be constrained by the energetic costs of locomotion (Fortin et al 2003, Belanger et al 2020), abundance of biting insects in summer (Melton et al 1989, Belanger et al 2020) and predation risk (Fortin et al 2009, Harvey and Fortin 2013). Both forage quantity and quality are strong determinants of bison habitat use (Hudson and Frank 1987, Larter and Gates 1991), as with other grazing or browsing ungulates (Hebblewhite et al 2008, VanBeest et al 2010).…”

“…Both forage quantity and quality are strong determinants of bison habitat use (Hudson and Frank 1987, Larter and Gates 1991), as with other grazing or browsing ungulates (Hebblewhite et al 2008, VanBeest et al 2010). During winter, bison may prefer graminoid‐dominated wetlands (Larter and Gates 1991, Jung et al 2018a, Belanger et al 2020) where they can obtain the sedges and rushes that dominate their winter diet (Fortin et al 2003, Larter and Allaire 2007, Strong and Gates 2009, Jung 2015); however, some populations also use woody browse (Campbell and Hinkes 1983, Waggoner and Hinkes 1986, Jung et al 2015). In summer, bison tend to avoid wetlands due to soft footing and an abundance of biting flies (Belanger et al 2020), instead adopting a broader diet found in alternative habitats such as shrub meadows and eskers (Larter and Gates 1991, Larter and Allaire 2007, Belanger et al 2020), or alpine tundra in mountainous regions (Jung et al 2015, 2018b).…”