Reproduction in a Moose Population

Edwards, Ross; Ritcey, R. W.

doi:10.2307/3796458

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The peak and distribution of ovulation dates in our study support previous findings from Scandinavian and North American populations of moose (Edwards and Ritcey 1958;Peek 1962;Markgren 1969;Lent 1974;Crichton 1992;Schwartz and Hundertmark 1993;Sigouin et al 1997) that the ovulation peak falls in late September and early October and that most of the ovulation activity occurs over less than 10 days (table 3). As in other ungulates (e.g., Dauphiné and McClure 1974;see Sadleir 1987 for a review), ovulation in Norwegian female moose is highly synchronous, a pattern expected for northern ungulates as an adaptation to plant seasonality (see below ;Bunnell 1982) and/or predation (Rutberg 1987).…”

Section: Ovulation Patterns In Female Moosesupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The ovulation rates in our study (table 3) are also in accordance with those in previous studies: ovulation rates among yearling females were more variable and lower compared with the high ovulation rate reported for adults (e.g., see Pimlott 1959;Peek 1962;Simkin 1965;Schladweiler and Stevens 1973;Saether and Haagenrud 1985;Crichton 1992;Schwartz and Hundertmark 1993), a general pattern observed in most ungulate species (Sadleir 1987;Festa-Bianchet 1988a;Gaillard et al 1992;Bon et al 1993;Hewison 1996;Bertouille and de Crombrugghe 2002;Langvatn et al 2004; for a review, see Gaillard et al 2000). In some populations (i.e., Vestfold, see table 3; see also Edwards and Ritcey 1958;Testa 2004), the yearling ovulation rates were close to 0, meaning that most females did not mate before 2.5 years of age. As was reported for Swedish moose by Markgren (1969), we also observed that ovulation rates increase with age, peak at prime age (see also, e.g., Crichton 1992), and remain high even in senescent females.…”

Section: Ovulation Patterns In Female Moosesupporting

confidence: 91%

“…This was particularly apparent in Vestfold, where all females were strongly dependent on a high body mass to ovulate (see table 4; fig. 4), with the consequence that yearlings were almost entirely outside the reproducing part of the population (e.g., see also Edwards and Ritcey 1958). Such spatial differences have also been reported in roe deer (Hewison 1996) and moose (Markgren 1969;Saether et al 1996;Sand 1996).…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Variations In Ovulation Patternsmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Beyond specific age and body mass effects, spatiotemporal variations among m, q, and ovulation synchrony j are of particular importance for understanding the evolution of female ovulation patterns. Several studies of moose (Edwards and Ritcey 1958;Markgren 1969) and other female ungulates (Bunnell 1980;Bauer 1987;Sadleir 1987; suggest that photoperiod is the ultimate factor regulating breeding phenology. Because we worked along a latitudinal gradient ( fig.…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Variations In Ovulation Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age, Size, and Spatiotemporal Variation in Ovulation Patterns of a Seasonal Breeder, the Norwegian Moose (Alces alces)

Garel¹,

Solberg²,

Sæther³

et al. 2009

The American Naturalist

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In seasonal environments, timing of reproduction is an important fitness component. However, in ungulates, our understanding of this biological process is limited. Here we analyze how age and body mass affect spatiotemporal variation in timing of ovulation of 6,178 Norwegian moose. We introduced a parametric statistical model to obtain inferences about the seasonal timing of ovulation peak, the degree of synchrony among individuals, and the proportion of individuals that ovulate. These components showed much more spatiotemporal variation than previously reported. Young (primiparous) and old (> or =11.5 years of age) females ovulated later than prime-aged (2.5-10.5 years of age) females. In all age classes, ovulation was delayed with decreasing body mass. Ovulation rates were lower and more variable among primiparous females than among older females. Young females required higher body mass than older females did to ovulate. The body-mass-to-ovulation relationship varied with age, showed large regional variation, and differed among years within region. These results suggest that (1) environmental and population characteristics contribute to shape seasonal variation in the breeding pattern and (2) large regional variation exists in the size-dependent age at maturity in moose. Hence, the life-history trade-off between reproduction and body growth should differ regionally in moose.

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Section: Ovulation Patterns In Female Moosesupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Ovulation Patterns In Female Moosesupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Spatiotemporal Variations In Ovulation Patternsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Spatiotemporal Variations In Ovulation Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Age, Size, and Spatiotemporal Variation in Ovulation Patterns of a Seasonal Breeder, the Norwegian Moose (Alces alces)

Garel¹,

Solberg²,

Sæther³

et al. 2009

The American Naturalist

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“…(Coady (1982) reported > 200% more energy is produced from summer food than is required for maintenance. During the growing season moose face their greatest nutritional demand to produce milk and raise young, and for antler development, hair replacement and storage of fat for winter (Edwards and Ritcey 1958, Klein 1962, Belovsky and Jordan 1978.…”

Section: Green or Growing Season Foodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moose Habitat Needs

Timmermann¹,

McNicol²

1988

The Forestry Chronicle

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A review of the literature describing moose habitat needs is presented. The growing season is a period of positive energy balance when moose feed extensively on a variety of deciduous leaves, aquatic macrophytes and herbaceous vegetation which satisfy nutritional requirements for weight gain and development. In winter, a period of negative energy balance, food intake and metabolism are reduced to conserve energy and minimize weight loss. In addition, good moose winter habitat includes shelter from extreme temperatures, deep snow and access to secure areas to help avoid predators expecially during spring calving. Optimum habitats contain an interspersion of food and cover within traditionally used seasonal home ranges.

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Effects of willow nutrition and morphology on calving success of moose

et al. 2022

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Across much of North America, populations of moose (Alces alces) are declining because of disease, predation, climate change, and anthropogenic‐driven habitat loss. Contrary to this trend, populations of moose in Colorado, USA, have continued to grow. Studying successful (i.e., persistent or growing) populations of moose can facilitate continued conservation by identifying habitat features critical to persistence of moose. We hypothesized that moose using habitat with higher quality willow (Salix spp.) would have a higher probability of having a calf‐at‐heel (i.e., calving success). We evaluated moose calving success using repeated ground observations of collared individuals with calves in an occupancy model framework to account for detection probability. We then evaluated the impact of willow habitat quality and nutrition on moose calving success by studying 2 spatially segregated populations of moose in Colorado. Last, we evaluated correlations between willow characteristics (browse intensity, height, cover, leaf length, and species) and willow nutrition (dry matter digestibility [DMD]) to assess the utility of using those characteristics to assess willow nutrition. We found willow height and cover had a high probability of being positively associated with higher individual‐level calving success. Willow DMD, browse intensity, and leaf length were not predictive of individual moose calving success; however, the site with higher mean DMD consistently had higher mean estimates of calving success for the same year. Our results suggest surveying DMD is likely not a useful metric for assessing differences in calving success of individual moose but may be of use at population levels. Further, the assessment of willow morphology and density may be used to identify areas that support higher levels of moose calving success.

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Reproduction in a Moose Population

Cited by 23 publications

References 10 publications

Age, Size, and Spatiotemporal Variation in Ovulation Patterns of a Seasonal Breeder, the Norwegian Moose (Alces alces)

Age, Size, and Spatiotemporal Variation in Ovulation Patterns of a Seasonal Breeder, the Norwegian Moose (Alces alces)

Moose Habitat Needs

Effects of willow nutrition and morphology on calving success of moose

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