Range Expansion of Moose in Arctic Alaska Linked to Warming and Increased Shrub Habitat

Tape, Ken D.; Gustine, David D.; Ruess, Roger W.; Adams, Layne G.; Clark, J. A.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152636

Cited by 90 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Corresponding to observations by reindeer herders in this study, moose are currently expanding their range also in other parts of the Arctic in response to increased abundance of forage, with consequences for the structure and function of these high‐latitude ecosystems (Tape et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Human–animal agency in reindeer management: Sámi herders’ perspectives on vegetation dynamics under climate change

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Many primary livelihoods in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions experience accelerating effects of environmental change. The often close connection between indigenous peoples and their respective territories allows them to make detailed observations of how these changes transform the landscapes where they practice their daily activities. Here, we report S ami reindeer herders' observations based on their long-term inhabitance and use of contrasting pastoral landscapes in northern Fennoscandia. In particular, we focus on the capacity for various herd management regimes to prevent a potential transformation of open tundra vegetation to shrubland or woodland. S ami herders did not confirm a substantial, rapid, or large-scale transformation of treeless tundra areas into shrub-and/or woodlands. However, where they observe encroachment of open tundra landscapes, a range of factors was deemed responsible. These included abiotic conditions, anthropogenic influences, and the direct and indirect effects of reindeer. The advance of the mountain birch tree line was in some cases associated with reduced or discontinued grazing and firewood cutting, depending on the seasonal significance of these particular areas. Where the tree line has risen in elevation and/or latitude, herding practices have by necessity adapted to these changes. Exploiting the capacity of reindeer impacts on vegetation as a conservation tool offers time-tested adaptive strategies of ecosystem management to counteract a potential encroachment of the tundra by woody plants. However, novel solutions in environmental governance involve difficult trade-offs for ecologically sustainable, economically viable, and socially desirable management strategies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Human–animal agency in reindeer management: Sámi herders’ perspectives on vegetation dynamics under climate change

et al. 2017

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“…, Tape et al. , b). Severe winter weather has been linked to synchronized declines in many ungulates (Post and Stenseth , Rennert et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Delayed spring onset drives declines in abundance and recruitment in a mountain ungulate

et al. 2018

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Changes in climate are driving widespread landscape changes in northern ecosystems, altering the size and distribution of wildlife populations over multi‐decadal time scales. Extreme weather events are also expected to become more common over time, affecting a variety of species, and mountain ungulates may be particularly susceptible because they occupy habitats with particularly harsh winter weather conditions. To explore the impacts of weather conditions and adverse weather events as population drivers, we surveyed Dall's sheep throughout their latitudinal range in Alaska and assessed lamb production and population trend in relation to end of the continuous snow season (CSS) as a measure of spring onset. In 2013, spring onset was extraordinarily late, providing an opportunity to directly assess the impacts of variability in weather on sheep population dynamics. We hypothesized that the timing of the end of the CSS would have greater impacts in arctic areas where conditions are presumably most limiting. We found that lamb production was negatively related to the annual timing of the end of the CSS and was near 0 in arctic areas in 2013. The 2013 event was also associated with ~40–70% declines in overall sheep numbers in arctic areas, indicating adult survival was also impacted. Overall, our results suggest that expected increases in adverse weather events may have direct, lasting impacts on mountain ungulate populations and that these impacts can be expected to be most extreme for populations occurring at northern range limits where growing season conditions are most restricted.

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“…) that has supported a northward expansion of a large browsing ungulate, moose ( Alces alces ; Tape et al. ). Although advances in spring thaw have been associated with early arrival of migratory birds for nesting (Ward et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nitrogen window for arctic herbivores: plant phenology and protein gain of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus)

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Terrestrial plants are often limited by nitrogen (N) in arctic systems, but constraints of N supply on herbivores are typically considered secondary to those of energy. We tested the hypothesis that forage N is more limiting than energy for arctic caribou by collecting key forages (three species of graminoids, three species of woody browse, and one genus of forb) over three summers in the migratory range of the Central Arctic Herd in Alaska from the Brooks Range to the Coastal Plain on the Arctic Ocean. We combined in vitro digestion and detergent extraction to measure fiber, digestible energy, and usable fractions of N in forages (n = 771). Digestible energy content fell below the minimum threshold value of 9 kJ/g for one single forage group: graminoids, and only beyond 64-75 d from parturition (6 June), whereas all forages fell below the minimum threshold value for digestible N (1% of dry matter) before female caribou would have weaned their calves at 100 d from parturition. The window for digestible N was shortest for browse, which fell below 1% at 30-41 d from parturition, whereas digestible N contents of graminoids were adequate until 46-57 d from parturition. The low quality of browse as a source of N was also apparent from concentrations of available N (i.e., the N not bound to fiber) that were <1% at 72-80 d from parturition. The Coastal Plain may be favored by female caribou because available and digestible concentrations of N are not only greater than those on the Brooks Range, the window of usable N on the Coastal Plain extends the period of protein gain for females and their calves by 17 d. Conversely, inland areas with greater biomass and densities of digestible N than the Coastal Plain may be more favorable for large male caribou that begin gaining protein from spring to breed in autumn. Our study provides evidence that phenological windows for protein gain in caribou are both spatially and temporally dynamic and likely to affect the distribution and growth of the population.

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Range Expansion of Moose in Arctic Alaska Linked to Warming and Increased Shrub Habitat

Cited by 90 publications

References 48 publications

Human–animal agency in reindeer management: Sámi herders’ perspectives on vegetation dynamics under climate change

Human–animal agency in reindeer management: Sámi herders’ perspectives on vegetation dynamics under climate change

Delayed spring onset drives declines in abundance and recruitment in a mountain ungulate

The nitrogen window for arctic herbivores: plant phenology and protein gain of migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus)

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