Population dynamics of the Kaminuriak caribou herd, 1968 - 1985

Heard, Douglas C.; Calef, George W.

doi:10.7557/2.6.2.641

Cited by 18 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Over-winter calf mortality can be high (Heard & Calef, 1986), however Bergerud (1971) found no evidence that calves died during winter at a higher rate than adults. Over-winter mortality of calves from the Delta herd was relatively low and no higher than cohorts >24 months (Davis et al, 1988;.…”

Section: Sex and Age Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population growth and status of the Nushagak Peninsula caribou herd in southwest Alaska following reintroduction, 1988 - 1993

Hinkes¹,

Daele²

1996

Ran

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Caribou were reintroduced to the Nushagak Peninsula, Alaska in February 1988, after an absence of over 100 years. The purpose was to reestablish caribou in the area and once again provide hunting to local residents. The Nushagak Peninsula caribou herd (NPCH) has grown rapidly from 146 reintroduced caribou to over 1 000 in 6 years at an exponential rate of increase of r = 0.317 or about 38%. The dramatic growth of the herd was attributed to the initial high percentage of females in the herd, high calf production and survival, pristine range, few predators and no hunting. Abundant high quality forage on the Nushagak Peninsula is the probable reason for the enhanced body condition and high natality even among 2-year-olds, and it has most likely contributed to the high calf survival and recruitment. Lack of predators and hunting has allowed calf and adult mortality to remain low. Although the size of the NPCH has grown steadily over the past 6 years, no significant dispersal from the peninsula has occurred. The population density of the NPCH was estimated to be 1.0/km 2 in 1993. We believe the herd will continue to grow, and could reach a density of 2.3/km 2 by 1998, even with a 10% harvest beginning in 1995. While the current growth of the NPCH makes the réin-troduction a success, the increasing density, lack of dispersal and potential for over-grazing, presents managers with hard decisions.

show abstract

Section: Sex and Age Compositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population growth and status of the Nushagak Peninsula caribou herd in southwest Alaska following reintroduction, 1988 - 1993

Hinkes¹,

Daele²

1996

Ran

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Barren-ground caribou show a density-dependent mechanism where range expansion and contraction is a function of the size of the herd (Simmons et al 1979, Bergerud et al 1984, Heard and Calef 1986, Messier et al 1988, Couturier et al 1990). Such dynamics may influence the distribution o f wolves (Heard and Williams 1992).…”

Section: Descriptive Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distribution of barren-ground caribou is density-dependent such that range expansion and contraction are a function of the size of the herd (Simmons et al 1979, Bergerud et al 1984, Heard and Calef 1986, Messier et al 1988, Couturier et al 1990, Gunn et al 2012. Gunn et al (2013) reported that the winter range of the Bathurst herd has contracted since 2002, corresponding to the decline of the herd.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, biologists also have noted fewer caribou in the southern portions of the Bathurst summer range (D. Cluff, pers comm) compared to periods o f higher abundance when scattered groups of caribou remained along the treeline throughout the summer (Banfield 1954, Parker 1973, Miller and Broughton 1974, Darby 1978, Heard et al 1996. Heard and Calef (1986) and Heard and Williams (1992) hypothesized that wolf populations demonstrate a numerical response to caribou abundance, where density-dependent range expansion or contraction by caribou influences prey availability. For wolves limited to the area of caribou range adjacent to the den site, fewer prey result in higher pup mortality and pup recruitment strongly influences wolf population dynamics (Fuller et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heard and Calef (1986) and Heard and Williams (1992) suggested that tundra wolf populations respond numerically to changing caribou densities. Space-use patterns of barrenground caribou are density-dependent where the expansion and contraction of their range is a function o f the population size of the herd (Simmons et al 1979, Bergerud et al 1984, Heard and Calef 1986, Messier et al 1988, Couterier et al 1990, Gunn et al 2012. When caribou are abundant, the herd returns earlier to the southern portions of the summer range and within closer proximity to the denning areas of wolves, thus providing wolves with greater access to prey when the nutritional demands of pups are high.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Klaczek¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Wolf-caribou dynamics within the central Canadian Arctic

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The severity of recent declines of barren‐ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) across the central Canadian Arctic has led to harvest restrictions and concerns about population recovery. Wolves (Canis lupus) are the main predator of barren‐ground caribou; however, the extent that wolves influence the decline and recovery of caribou herds is unknown. Such uncertainty confounds management responses (e.g., reducing harvest, predator control). We investigated wolf–caribou dynamics on the summer range of barren‐ground caribou in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada (i.e., Bathurst caribou herd). Our primary objective was to test for a numerical response of wolves to changes in the abundance and spatial distribution of caribou. Caribou experienced a >90% decline in abundance over the study period (1996–2014). Using long‐term data sets (1996–2012), we developed regression models to investigate relationships between abundance indices of wolves and range‐use patterns of caribou. We monitored the movements of adult female wolves fitted with global positioning system (GPS) collars representing individual packs throughout the 2013 and 2014 denning periods. We also investigated pup recruitment, an index of population decline, at a time of low caribou abundance. Finally, we developed a series of stochastic population models to understand how pup recruitment influenced wolf densities on the Bathurst range over the period of caribou decline. As caribou abundance decreased, the late‐summer distribution of the Bathurst herd contracted toward the calving ground. These movements correlated with low rates of wolf pup recruitment and high den abandonment, suggesting a regulatory mechanism whereby wolf reproductive success was limited by the low availability of caribou within the denning areas. Furthermore, these data suggested a numerical response, where wolf densities decreased as caribou numbers declined. In 2014, wolf density was estimated at <4 wolves/1,000 km2. Our results suggest that these wolves exhibited a relatively strong numerical response to a single, declining prey base. Given the continued decline in the Bathurst caribou herd, the tundra wolf population on the Bathurst range has likely declined below our 2014 estimate. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.

show abstract

Population dynamics of the Kaminuriak caribou herd, 1968 - 1985

Cited by 18 publications

References 4 publications

Population growth and status of the Nushagak Peninsula caribou herd in southwest Alaska following reintroduction, 1988 - 1993

Population growth and status of the Nushagak Peninsula caribou herd in southwest Alaska following reintroduction, 1988 - 1993

Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

Wolf-caribou dynamics within the central Canadian Arctic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About