Spatial and Genetic Relationships of Fishers in Boreal Mixed-Wood Forests of Northeastern British Columbia

Weir, Richard D.; Lofroth, Eric C.; Phinney, Mark; Harris, Leanne R.

doi:10.3955/046.087.0204

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The reasons for this difference are not clear, but we suspect it may be partially due to differences in space use between the 2 areas. Adult male fishers in the Boreal population had home ranges that were approximately 30% larger than those in the Columbian population (Columbian: 161.3 km², Weir et al 2009; Boreal: 210.3 km², Weir et al 2013). It is possible that this increase in area in the Boreal population disproportionately affected their mortality risk, either through increased encounters with sources of mortality (e.g., trapping, predators, vehicles), increased energetic demands associated with larger‐scaled movements, or interactions among these factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tale of two populations: vital rates of fishers in British Columbia, Canada

Lofroth¹,

Weir

Davis

et al. 2022

J Wildl Manag

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Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are a forest-dependent carnivore of conservation concern in British Columbia, Canada. Ecological, spatial, and genetic evidence suggests that there are 2 distinct populations (Boreal and Columbian) that occur in forests at low to moderate elevations in the boreal and central interior regions of the province. In British Columbia, fishers occur at low densities relative to other parts of their range in North America, are trapped for their fur, and are sensitive to habitat change. Despite these factors, little demographic information exists to assist with management decisions for these populations. We collated and analyzed survival and reproductive data from 100 radio-tagged fishers from 5 independent studies conducted between 1990 and 2012 in British Columbia: 2 in the Boreal population, and 3 in the Columbian population. We also collated litter size data from 1 den box study and a translocation project of fishers from the Columbian population. Annual survival rates were not significantly different between the populations or between males and females; however, adult survival rates were higher than subadults (0.79 and 0.63, respectively). Subadult females had significantly lower survival rates than other sex or age classes. Reproductive rates were significantly different between the 2 populations (denning rate = 0.54 [Columbian], 0.82 [Boreal]; x ¯litter size = 1.7 [Columbian], 2.6 [Boreal]). These differences resulted in net reproductive rates in the Columbian population that were less than half of those in the Boreal population (0.92 kits/reproductive season compared to 2.13, respectively). Population growth rates suggest that the

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%