The importance of data mining for conservation science: a case study on the wolverine

Gallant, Daniel; Gauvin, Lindsay Y.; Berteaux, Dominique; Lecomte, Nicolas

doi:10.1007/s10531-016-1188-5

Cited by 8 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Yet climate change and anthropogenic disturbances such as forest harvesting may also increase access to new territories by modifying biotic and abiotic factors that otherwise would limit a species’ potential to utilize a territory [ 9 ]. Given that climate change and anthropogenic disturbances occur over long periods of time, resulting in complex cumulative impacts, they are often difficult to understand and to document [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More fishers and fewer martens due to cumulative effects of forest management and climate change as evidenced from local knowledge

Suffice

Asselin

Imbeau

et al. 2017

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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BackgroundMonitoring of fur-bearing species populations is relatively rare due to their low densities. In addition to catch data, trappers’ experience provides information on the ecology and status of the harvested species. Fisher (Pekania pennanti) and American marten (Martes americana) are mustelids that are sensitive to forest management and therefore considered to be ecological indicators of forest health. Fisher populations have increased in eastern North America since the early 2000s and this could have resulted in a northeastern extension of the species’ range and increased overlap with marten’s range. Moreover, habitats of both species are subject to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. The objective of this study was to document the knowledge held by local trappers in the northern area of sympatry between fisher and marten to identify factors that could explain variation in populations of the two species and interactions between them.MethodForty-one semi-directed interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous trappers in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of western Quebec (Canada), at the northern limit of the overlapping ranges of the two mustelid species.ResultsTrappers highlighted the lack of exclusivity of marten and fisher to coniferous forests, although marten is more closely associated with them than is fisher. Fisher apparently also takes advantage of open environments, including agroforestry systems. Moreover, climate change increases the frequency of freeze-thaw events that cause the formation of an ice crust on the snow surface, which favors fisher movements.ConclusionThe fisher was identified as a competitor and even a predator of the marten. Furthermore, the fisher is less affected than the marten by forest management, and it also seems to benefit from climate change to a greater extent.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More fishers and fewer martens due to cumulative effects of forest management and climate change as evidenced from local knowledge

Suffice

Asselin

Imbeau

et al. 2017

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

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“…For example, they only constitute a minor portion of the coyote's diet in the park 43 while black bears rarely feed on beavers 44 . Thus, the beaver population in our study area is not controlled by predators, but rather by the lack of their preferred food, trembling aspen 45 . This suggests that beavers themselves are not facilitating increased mesocarnivore density as prey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This is not surprising considering that parts of tributaries with a history of beaver occurrence are more geomorphologically complex, biologically diverse, and productive than the surrounding landscape 54 . We know that some ponds or beaver meadows can be ≥40 years old 19,20,45 . While the introduction of beavers to new habitats (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatiotemporal changes in biodiversity by ecosystem engineers: how beavers structure the richness of large mammals

Gauvin

Gallant

Tremblay

et al. 2020

Preprint

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High levels of biodiversity may be needed to maintain ecosystem functioning. By creating niches for other species, ecosystem engineers have the potential to promote biodiversity, but it is unclear how this translates across spatiotemporal scales. We evaluated the long-term impact of ecosystem engineering by beavers (Castor canadensis) on the diversity of mobile species. We tested the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of engineered habitats in different states resulting from ecosystem engineering by beavers increases the biodiversity of large mammals across spatial scales. We tested a second hypothesis that engineered habitat in different states resulting from ecosystem engineering by beavers drive the diversity of large mammals. We compared the richness and composition of boreal mammals using camera traps between habitats with and without history of occurrence by beavers within a protected area, where trapping, hunting, and forest exploitation are prohibited. We found that unique species were mostly found in specific engineered habitats, with ponds and wet meadows showing more species than dry meadows. In addition to the increased diversity of dispersal-limited species, our results show that beavers promote the diversity of mobile species at both local and landscape scales, signaling the importance of niche creation in structuring animal communities across scales.

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“…Wolverine populations in western Canada are far from stable, however, and abundances have begun to diminish due to impacts of socio-environmental and climate change (Gallant, Gauvin, Berteaux, & Lecomte, 2016;Kukka & Jung, 2016;Slough, 2007). Currently, there are believed to be only 3,000-6,000 wolverines still present in the Northwest Territories (NWT)with some regions experiencing declines by as much as 66% between 2004and 2011(Species at Risk Committee, 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How children in northern Canada represent the wolverine through drawings

Bonamy

Harbicht

Herrmann³

2020

Polar Record

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This study explores the perception of wolverines, a carnivore in decline, by youths in northern Canada, the future generation of stakeholders. To accomplish this, we analysed 165 drawings from children and 22 interviews with Indigenous adults in the Northwest Territories and Quebec. Overall, children primarily drew wolverines in healthy environments, with only a minority depicting the wolverine’s environment negatively. All children demonstrated a basic understanding of the wolverine’s physical appearance and biology/ecology, with few differences in how the wolverine was depicted among the different research areas. Among interviewed adults, the ecological role played by wolverines was less prominent among the themes explored by Naskapi participants than was their role as a thief or pest, when contrasted to Dene participants. These results indicate that information about wolverine habitat or biology is still being acquired by children in areas where wolverines are extirpated, but that a lack of exposure to this species may negatively influence children’s understanding of its ecological role. These results suggest that informing the public about this carnivore’s ecological role may improve public support and, therefore, the likelihood of successful conservation programmes.

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The importance of data mining for conservation science: a case study on the wolverine

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

More fishers and fewer martens due to cumulative effects of forest management and climate change as evidenced from local knowledge

More fishers and fewer martens due to cumulative effects of forest management and climate change as evidenced from local knowledge

Spatiotemporal changes in biodiversity by ecosystem engineers: how beavers structure the richness of large mammals

How children in northern Canada represent the wolverine through drawings

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