Modeling Caribou Movements: Seasonal Ranges and Migration Routes of the Central Arctic Herd

Nicholson, Kerry L.; Arthur, Stephen M.; Horne, Jon S.; Garton, Edward O.; Vecchio, Patricia A. Del

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150333

Cited by 53 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Whereas monitoring data collected on the CAH in the early 1980s reported that calving grounds were located adjacent to the coast (Cameron et al ), our results mirrored patterns in more recent studies where calving grounds were located inland, south of the oil fields (Fig. ; Arthur and Del Vecchio , Nicholson et al ). Similar to the Teshekpuk and Porcupine caribou herds, caribou in the CAH selected for herbaceous mesic vegetation during the calving period (Fancy and Whitten , Wilson et al ), and reduced their selection for wetter vegetation types during the mosquito harassment period (Walsh et al , Parrett , Wilson et al ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…). We used a consistent area of availability to enable comparisons in resource selection across periods and because caribou are highly mobile and can easily travel within this area during early summer (Arthur and Del Vecchio , Nicholson et al ). We removed areas within the MCP that overlapped with the Arctic Ocean (bounding the north end of the study area).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Caribou Use of Habitat Near Energy Development in Arctic Alaska

et al. 2019

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Increasing demands for energy have generated interest in expanding oil and gas production on the North Slope of Alaska, USA, raising questions about the resilience of barren‐ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations to new development. Although the amount of habitat lost directly to energy development in the Arctic will likely be relatively small, there are significant concerns about habitat that may be indirectly affected because of caribou avoidance behaviors. Behavioral responses to energy development for wildlife have been documented, but such responses are often assumed to dissipate over time, despite scant information on the ability of animals to habituate. To understand the long‐term effects of energy development on barren‐ground caribou, we investigated the behavior of the Central Arctic Herd in northern Alaska, which has been exposed to oil development on its summer range for approximately 40 years. Using recent (2015–2017) location data from global positioning system (GPS)‐collared females, we conducted a zone of influence analysis to assess whether caribou reduced their use of habitat near energy development, and if so, the distance the effects attenuated. We conducted this analysis for the calving, post‐calving, and mosquito harassment periods when caribou exhibit distinct resource selection patterns, and contrasted our results to past research that investigated the responses of the Central Arctic Herd immediately following the construction of the oil fields. Despite the long‐term presence of energy development within the Central Arctic Herd summer range, we found that female caribou exhibited avoidance responses to infrastructure during all time periods, although the effects waned across the summer. Caribou reduced their use of habitat within 5 km of development during the calving period, within 2 km during the post‐calving period, and within 1 km during the mosquito harassment period; these areas were predicted to overlap 12%, 15%, and 17% of important calving, post‐calving, and mosquito period habitat, respectively. During the calving period, the indirect effects we observed were similar to those observed in past research, whereas during the post‐calving and mosquito periods, we detected avoidance responses that had not been previously reported. These findings corroborate a growing body of evidence suggesting that habituation to industrial development in caribou in the Arctic is likely to be weak or absent, and emphasizes the value of minimizing the footprint of infrastructure within important seasonal habitat to reduce behavioral effects to barren‐ground caribou. © 2019 The Authors. The Journal of Wildlife Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caribou Use of Habitat Near Energy Development in Arctic Alaska

et al. 2019

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“…The effects of changing plant communities could be alleviated somewhat because Rangifer is known to be versatile in their feeding habits, and the diet composition of caribou and reindeer varies across the species' range (Bergerud 1974;Thompson and Barboza 2013). Nicholson et al (2016) suggested that the observed flexible use of winter ranges by caribou may be beneficial in a changing climate, allowing them to adjust range use in response to environmental conditions. Similarly, reindeer appear to be able to adjust behaviour and space use in response to icing events, and this provides some ability to minimize negative impacts of extreme weather (Stien et al 2010;Loe et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The energetic cost of locomotion of an animal is dependent on the characteristics of the surface over which they are travelling. Deep snow increases the energetic cost of locomotion and slows movement (Fancy and White 1987;Nicholson et al 2016), and caribou tend to select areas with lower snow depth for ease of movement and better access to forage (Duquette 1988;Johnson et al 2001). The migratory patterns of caribou are integral to their life history and show substantial flexibility in response to environmental conditions, particularly respecting snow conditions and temperature (Nicholson et al 2016;Le Corre et al 2017).…”

Section: Movement Migration and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

2018

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Abstract:The ability of many species to adapt to the shifting environmental conditions associated with climate change will be a key determinant of their persistence in the coming decades. This is a challenge already faced by species in the Arctic, where rapid environmental change is well underway. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) play a key role in Arctic ecosystems and provide irreplaceable socioeconomic value to many northern peoples. Recent decades have seen declines in many Rangifer populations, and there is strong concern that climate change is threatening the viability of this iconic Arctic species. We examine the literature to provide a thorough and full consideration of the many environmental factors that limit caribou and reindeer populations, and how these might be affected by a warming climate. Our review suggests that the response of Rangifer populations to climate change is, and will continue to be, varied in large part to their broad circumpolar distribution. While caribou and reindeer could have some resilience to climate change, current global trends in abundance undermine all but the most precautionary outlooks. Ultimately, the conservation of Rangifer populations will require careful management that considers the local and regional manifestations of climate change.Key words: climate change, caribou, reindeer, Rangifer, Arctic.Résumé : La capacité de bien des espèces à s'adapter aux conditions changeantes du milieu, associées au changement climatique, sera un facteur déterminant de leur pérennité dans les décennies à venir. Ceci constitue un défi auquel les espèces sont déjà confrontées dans l'Arctique, où la dégradation rapide de l'environnement est bien amorcée. Les caribous et les rennes (Rangifer tarandus) jouent un rôle essentiel dans les écosystèmes arctiques et apportent une valeur socio-économique irremplaçable aux populations du Nord. Au cours des dernières décennies, il y a eu des déclins dans beaucoup de populations de Rangifer et il règne une grande inquiétude que le changement climatique menace la viabilité de cette espèce iconique de l'Arctique. Nous examinons la littérature afin de fournir une étude complète et minutieuse des nombreux facteurs du milieu restreignant les populations de caribous et de rennes, et de déterminer comment ces populations pourraient être touchées par le réchauffement climatique. Notre examen suggère que la réponse des populations de Rangifer au changement climatique est, et continuera à être, diverse principalement en raison de leur vaste aire de répartition circumpolaire. Tandis que les caribous et les rennes pourraient avoir une certaine résilience au changement climatique, les tendances globales actuelles d'abondance des espèces affaiblissent toutes les perspectives sauf les plus préoccupantes. En fin de compte, la conservation des populations de Rangifer nécessitera une gestion prudente qui prenne en compte les manifestations locales et régionales de changement climatique. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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“…The inventories from 2013, 2014, and 2015 represented the operation phase, except for the forestry activity in July 2013. It is generally believed that there is some random variation in habitat use by reindeer between years (Nicholson et al., ), which was also seen in the initial analysis of the data (Figure ); therefore, it makes sense to average the usage over a number of years to get stable estimate of the effects of the wind farm.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Reindeer habitat use in relation to two small wind farms, during preconstruction, construction, and operation

Skarin

Alam

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Worldwide there is a rush toward wind power development and its associated infrastructure. In Fennoscandia, large‐scale wind farms comprising several hundred windmills are currently built in important grazing ranges used for Sámi reindeer husbandry. In this study, reindeer habitat use was assessed using reindeer fecal pellet group counts in relation to two relatively small wind farms, with 8 and 10 turbines, respectively. In 2009, 1,315 15‐m2 plots were established and pellet groups were counted and cleaned from the plots. This was repeated once a year in May, during preconstruction, construction, and operation of the wind farms, covering 6 years (2009–2014) of reindeer habitat use in the area. We modeled the presence/absence of any pellets in a plot at both the local (wind farm site) and regional (reindeer calving to autumn range) scale with a hierarchical logistic regression, where spatial correlation was accounted for via random effects, using vegetation type, and the interaction between distance to wind turbine and time period as predictor variables. Our results revealed an absolute reduction in pellet groups by 66% and 86% around each wind farm, respectively, at local scale and by 61% at regional scale during the operation phase compared to the preconstruction phase. At the regional, scale habitat use declined close to the turbines in the same comparison. However, at the local scale, we observed increased habitat use close to the wind turbines at one of the wind farms during the operation phase. This may be explained by continued use of an important migration route close to the wind farm. The reduced use at the regional scale nevertheless suggests that there may be an overall avoidance of both wind farms during operation, but further studies of reindeer movement and behavior are needed to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms behind this suggested avoidance.

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Modeling Caribou Movements: Seasonal Ranges and Migration Routes of the Central Arctic Herd

Cited by 53 publications

References 57 publications

Caribou Use of Habitat Near Energy Development in Arctic Alaska

Caribou Use of Habitat Near Energy Development in Arctic Alaska

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

Reindeer habitat use in relation to two small wind farms, during preconstruction, construction, and operation

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