Testing the match–mismatch hypothesis in bighorn sheep in the context of climate change

Renaud, Limoilou‐Amelie; Festa-Bianchet, Marco; Pelletier, Fanie

doi:10.1111/gcb.15923

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…It can be difficult to know how far back to look for climate predictors of an organism's phenology. Some cues can prompt responses within a day, such as plants flowering immediately post-snowmelt [85,86], other cues prompt responses within a month or two, such as warm spring weather stimulating insect emergence [39,87], and still other responses occur across seasons, such as fall temperature determining conception timing, and thus spring birth of arctic ungulates [44,[47][48][49]. Cues can also accumulate over time and interact with organisms' physiological demands; for example, a warm winter combined with a warm spring delays first flower of some plant species, because they have not met their vernalization-chilling requirements [88,89].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This timeframe can range from weeks to years prior to a given phenological event [43][44][45][46]. Prior weather can be a good phenological predictor, such as in Arctic ungulates where fall temperature determines conception timing and thus spring parturition date [44,[47][48][49]. Fall weather can also predict flowering times for fruit trees and other angiosperms in the following spring [50,51].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups

et al. 2023

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The timing of life events (phenology) can be influenced by climate. Studies from around the world tell us that climate cues and species' responses can vary greatly. If variation in climate effects on phenology is strong within a single ecosystem, climate change could lead to ecological disruption, but detailed data from diverse taxa within a single ecosystem are rare. We collated first sighting and median activity within a high-elevation environment for plants, insects, birds, mammals and an amphibian across 45 years (1975–2020). We related 10 812 phenological events to climate data to determine the relative importance of climate effects on species’ phenologies. We demonstrate significant variation in climate-phenology linkage across taxa in a single ecosystem. Both current and prior climate predicted changes in phenology. Taxa responded to some cues similarly, such as snowmelt date and spring temperatures; other cues affected phenology differently. For example, prior summer precipitation had no effect on most plants, delayed first activity of some insects, but advanced activity of the amphibian, some mammals, and birds. Comparing phenological responses of taxa at a single location, we find that important cues often differ among taxa, suggesting that changes to climate may disrupt synchrony of timing among taxa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups

et al. 2023

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“…Studies have attempted to estimate effects of past and future climate variation on bighorn sheep, including both native and restored populations (Epps et al, 2004;Colchero et al, 2009). Nonetheless, a study investigating temporal mismatch between vegetation green-up and parturition date in Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, an expected consequence of climate change, concluded that mismatch did not have major consequences for fitness (Renaud et al, 2022).…”

Section: Climate Change and Future Habitat Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of bighorn sheep: History, successes, and remaining conservation issues

et al. 2023

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Mammals are imperiled worldwide, primarily from habitat loss or modification, and exhibit downward trends in their populations and distributions. Likewise, large-bodied herbivores have undergone a collapse in numbers and are at the highest extinction risk of all mammals. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are among those large-bodied herbivores that possess a slow-paced life history, suffer from debilitating diseases, and have experienced range contractions across their historical distribution since the late 1800s. Translocations and reintroductions of these mountain ungulates are key aspects of restoration and often are used to re-establish populations in historical habitat or to supplement declining herds. Millions of US dollars and much effort by state and federal natural resource agencies, as well as public and private organizations, have been expended to restore bighorn sheep. Despite those efforts, translocated populations of bighorn sheep have not always been successful. We assessed restoration of bighorn sheep to provide insights in the context of conservation of populations of bighorn sheep, because this management tool is a frequently used to re-establish populations. We focused briefly on past efforts to restore bighorn sheep populations and followed with updates on the value of habitat enhancements, genetic issues, the importance of ecotypic or phenotypic adaptations when restoring populations, predation, and disease transmission. We also raised issues and posed questions that have potential to affect future decisions regarding the restoration of bighorn sheep. This information will help conservationists improve the success of conserving these iconic large mammals.

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Direct and indirect effects of cougar predation on bighorn sheep fitness

Cloutier,

Festa‐Bianchet,

Pelletier

2024

Ecology

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Predation has direct effects on prey population dynamics through mortality, and it can induce indirect effects through fear. The indirect effects of predation have been documented experimentally, but few studies have quantified them in nature so that their role in prey population dynamics remains controversial. Given the expanding or reintroduced populations of large predators in many areas, the quantification of indirect effects of predation is crucial. We sought to evaluate the direct and indirect fitness effects of intense cougar (Puma concolor) predation using 48 years of data on marked bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) on Ram Mountain, Alberta, Canada. We compared years of intense cougar predation with years with no or occasional cougar predation. We first quantified the effects of predation on neonatal, weaning, and overwinter lamb survival, three metrics potentially affected by direct and indirect effects. We then investigated the possible indirect effects of intense cougar predation on lamb production, female summer mass gain, and lamb mass at weaning. We found strong effects of cougar predation on lamb survival, lamb production, and seasonal mass gain of lambs and adult females. In years with high predation, neonatal, weaning, and overwinter lamb survival declined by 18.4%, 19.7% and 20.8%, respectively. Indirect effects included a 14.2% decline in lamb production. Female summer mass gain decreased by 15.6% and lamb mass at weaning declined by 8.0% in years of intense cougar predation. Our findings bring key insights on the impacts of predation on prey fitness by reporting moderate to large effects on recruitment and illustrate the importance of indirect effects of predation on population dynamics.

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Testing the match–mismatch hypothesis in bighorn sheep in the context of climate change

Cited by 7 publications

References 83 publications

Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups

Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups

Restoration of bighorn sheep: History, successes, and remaining conservation issues

Direct and indirect effects of cougar predation on bighorn sheep fitness

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