Selection of Post-Fire Seres by Lynx and Snowshoe Hares in the Alaskan Taiga

Paragi, Thomas F.; Johnson, W. N.; Katnik, Donald D.; Magoun, Audrey J.

doi:10.2307/3536861

Cited by 25 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Wildfire, which is the most important factor in the dynamics of the northern boreal forest ecosystem (Kelsall et al 1977;Viereck 1983), is a major habitat modifier (Johnson et al 1995;Paragi et al 1997). Logging, which is also an important factor in the dynamics of many boreal and montane forests, restarts the succession necessary to create optimum hare and lynx habitat, but often removes the structure needed for denning by lynx and the dense understory resulting from wildfire (Mowat and Slough 2003).…”

Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Canada Lynx, <em>Lynx canadensis</em>, in Canada

Poole¹

2003

Can Field Nat

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The Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is the most common and widespread member of the cat family in Canada. Lynx are distributed throughout forested regions of Canada and Alaska and into portions of the northern contiguous United States, closely paralleling the range of its primary prey, the Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus). They are most common in the boreal, sub-boreal and western montane forests, preferring older regenerating forests (>20 years) and generally avoiding younger stands, and occupy roughly 95% of their former range in Canada. Lynx population size fluctuates 3–17 fold over an 8–11 year cycle, tracking the abundance of Snowshoe Hares with a 1–2 year lag. During increasing and high hare abundance, lynx have high reproductive output and high kit and adult survival. The decline phase is characterized by reproductive failure, increased natural mortality, and high rates of dispersal. Dispersal distances of over 1000 km have been recorded. During the cyclic low, kit recruitment essentially fails for 2–3 years, and is followed by several years of modest reproductive output. Reproductive parameters in southern lynx populations appear similar to those found during the cyclic low and early increase phase in more northern populations. Trapping is a significant source of mortality in some areas. Field studies have documented from 2–45 lynx/100 km2 at various times in the cycle and in various habitats. Although the amplitude of the cyclic fluctuations in lynx numbers may have decreased somewhat in recent decades, there is no evidence to suggest a significant decline in numbers in Canada. Lynx are managed as a furbearer in Canada, with harvest regulated primarily by seasons, quotas, and closures. The harvest over the past decade has declined concurrent with declining pelt prices, and is currently a fraction of historic levels. Lynx are fully protected in less than 2–3% of their range in Canada. There is no evidence to suggest that overall lynx numbers or distribution across Canada have declined significantly over the past two decades, although loss of habitat through increased urbanization and development and forestry is likely affecting lynx populations along the southern fringe of its range. Its high potential to increase in numbers and propensity to disperse long distances suggest that the species is relatively resilient to localized perturbations and reductions, given time and removal of the factors that cause the initial decrease. Lowered lynx harvests, coupled with a greater awareness of the need for proactive lynx management, suggests that the overall future of lynx in Canada is secure.

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Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Canada Lynx, <em>Lynx canadensis</em>, in Canada

Poole¹

2003

Can Field Nat

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“…Some experts reported that the lynx habitat model may have been overly influenced by the attributes of old-forest stands, possibly over-predicting habitat quality in areas o f late-successional forests. Although lynx do use old forest stands for certain life requisites (Paragi et al 1997), perhaps not enough emphasis was placed on the importance o f younger, regenerating forest stands that may provide abundant prey habitat.…”

Section: Habitat Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mature conifer or mixed forests provide valuable habitat for denning, resting, and cover from extreme climatic conditions (Paragi et al 1997). It is widely accepted that lynx use mature forest stands, although few studies have reported selection for these habitats (Mowat et al 2000, Poole 2003, Hoving et al 2004.…”

Section: Lynxmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is widely accepted that lynx use mature forest stands, although few studies have reported selection for these habitats (Mowat et al 2000, Poole 2003, Hoving et al 2004. Late-successional forests may be of particular importance to lynx during low periods o f the hare cycle, as lynx often switch to alternate prey found in these areas, such as red squirrels (Paragi et al 1997, Mowat et al 2000.…”

Section: Lynxmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Less is known, however, about the dependence o f lynx populations on habitat associated with mature forest stands. Mature conifer or mixed forests provide valuable habitat for denning, resting, and cover from climatic conditions (Paragi et al 1997 Many studies have investigated the impacts o f industrial development on marten habitat (Thompson 1994, Chapin et al 1998, Hargis et al 1999, Potvin et al 2000 Harrison 2003 …”

Section: Habitat Change and Population Dynamics Of Furbearersmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Assessing cumulative impacts of forest development on the abundance and distribution of furbearers.

Bridger¹

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Canada lynx use of burned areas: Conservation implications of changing fire regimes

Vanbianchi

Murphy

Hodges

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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A fundamental problem in ecology is forecasting how species will react to major disturbances. As the climate warms, large, frequent, and severe fires are restructuring forested landscapes at large spatial scales, with unknown impacts on imperilled predators. We use the United States federally Threatened Canada lynx as a case study to examine how predators navigate recent large burns, with particular focus on habitat features and the spatial configuration (e.g., distance to edge) that enabled lynx use of these transformed landscapes. We coupled GPS location data of lynx in Washington in an area with several recent large fires and a number of GIS layers of habitat data to develop models of lynx habitat selection in recent burns. Random Forest habitat models showed lynx‐selected islands of forest skipped by large fires, residual vegetation, and areas where some trees survived to use newly burned areas. Lynx used burned areas as early as 1 year postfire, which is much earlier than the 2–4 decades postfire previously thought for this predator. These findings are encouraging for predator persistence in the face of fires, but increasingly severe fires or management that reduces postfire residual trees or slow regeneration will likely jeopardize lynx and other predators. Fire management should change to ensure heterogeneity is retained within the footprint of large fires to enable viable predator populations as fire regimes worsen with climate change.

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Selection of Post-Fire Seres by Lynx and Snowshoe Hares in the Alaskan Taiga

Cited by 25 publications

References 19 publications

A Review of the Canada Lynx, <em>Lynx canadensis</em>, in Canada

A Review of the Canada Lynx, <em>Lynx canadensis</em>, in Canada

Assessing cumulative impacts of forest development on the abundance and distribution of furbearers.

Canada lynx use of burned areas: Conservation implications of changing fire regimes

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