Long-term monitoring in the boreal forest reveals high spatio-temporal variability among primary ecosystem constituents

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 11

Published: Sept. 25, 2023

The boreal forest, the world’s largest terrestrial biome, is undergoing dramatic changes owing to anthropogenic stressors, including those of climate change. To track ecosystem through space and time, robust monitoring programs are needed that survey a variety constituents. We monitored white spruce ( Picea glauca ) cone crops, berry Empetrum nigrum, Shepherdia canadensis production, above-ground mushroom abundance, abundance small mammals Clethrionomys rutilus , Peromyscus maniculatus ), North American red squirrels Tamiascirus hudsonicus snowshoe hares Lepus americanus carnivores Lynx Canis latrans Vulpes vulpes Martes americana Mustela erminea across 5 sites in Yukon, Canada. Monitoring began 1973 at Lhù’ààn Mân’ (Kluane Lake) additional protocols were added until complete sequence was fixed 2005 all continued 2022. White counts show mast years 3–7-year intervals. Ground berries soapberry highly variable among did not correlate or between for different species. Red-backed voles showed clear 3–4-year cycles Kluane probably Mayo Watson Lake sites, but only annual Whitehorse Faro. Snowshoe fluctuated 9–10-year travelling wave, peaking one year earlier synchrony other with no sign peak density changing cyclic attenuation over last 50 years. Red squirrel numbers exhibit marked inter-year variability, driven mainly by episodic crops predation from Canada lynx coyotes as hare densities undergo decline. Snow index mammalian predators have been conducted on our indicating rise fall 1–2-year lag these two tracking cycle. Coyotes together following cycle, coyote also depressed during deep snow summarize, we noted considerable inter-site variability population dynamics many forest constituents, keystone species (snowshoe hare, lynx) remarkably similar trends region. continue monitor wildlife biomass determine associated increasing temperature fluctuating rainfall. Yukon shifts, slow, taxa specific, uncertain predictability.

Language: Английский

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Climate Change Impacts on Himalayan Biodiversity: Evidence-Based Perception and Current Approaches to Evaluate Threats Under Climate Change

Journal of the Indian Institute of Science, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 101(2), P. 195 - 210

Published: April 1, 2021

Language: Английский

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Balancing food acquisition and predation risk drives demographic changes in snowshoe hare population cycles

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 25(4), P. 981 - 991

Published: Feb. 11, 2022

Snowshoe hare cycles are one of the most prominent phenomena in ecology. Experimental studies point to predation as dominant driving factor, but previous experiments combining food supplementation and predator removal produced unexplained multiplicative effects on density. We examined potential interactive limitation causing using an individual-based food-supplementation experiment over-winter across three cycle phases that naturally varied risk. Supplementation doubled survival with largest occurring late increase phase. Although proximate cause mortality was predation, supplemented hares significantly decreased foraging time selected for conifer habitat, potentially reducing their Supplemented also lost less body mass which resulted production larger leverets. Our results establish a mechanistic link between how time, loss risk affect reproduction, demographic changes associated cycles.

Language: Английский

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Collaborative wildlife–snow science: Integrating wildlife and snow expertise to improve research and management

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 13(6)

Published: June 1, 2022

Abstract For wildlife inhabiting snowy environments, snow properties such as onset date, depth, strength, and distribution can influence many aspects of ecology, including movement, community dynamics, energy expenditure, forage accessibility. As a result, plays considerable role in individual fitness ultimately population its evaluation is, therefore, important for comprehensive understanding ecosystem processes regions experiencing snow. Such understanding, particularly study how wildlife–snow relationships may be changing, grows more urgent winter become less predictable often extreme under global climate change. However, studying monitoring continue to challenging because characterizing snow, an inherently complex constantly changing environmental feature, identifying, accessing, applying relevant information at appropriate spatial temporal scales, require detailed physical science technologies that typically lie outside the expertise researchers managers. We argue thoroughly assessing ecology requires substantive collaboration between with each these two fields, leveraging discipline‐specific knowledge brought by both professionals. To facilitate this encourage effective exploration questions, we provide five‐step protocol: (1) identify property information; (2) specify spatial, temporal, informational requirements; (3) build necessary datasets; (4) implement quality control procedures; (5) incorporate into analyses. Additionally, explore types used within collaborative framework. illustrate, context examples, field observations, remote‐sensing datasets, four example modeling tools simulate spatiotemporal distributions and, some cases, evolutions. type data, highlight opportunities professionals when designing data collection efforts, processing remote sensing products, producing tailored resulting seek clear path address questions improve ecological inference integrating best available through

Language: Английский

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Fractional core-based collapse mechanism and structural optimization in complex systems

Science China Information Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 66(9)

Published: Aug. 28, 2023

Language: Английский

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Local weather interacts with human disturbances to shape the behaviour of boreal caribou across a large climate gradient

Biodiversity and Conservation, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 20, 2025

Language: Английский

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Dietary niche partitioning of two sympatric mesocarnivores in a cool temperate forest ecosystem: The influence of seasonal variation and apex carnivores

Journal of Zoology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 23, 2025

Abstract Characterizing the dietary niche partitioning of sympatric mesocarnivores is fundamental for understanding their mechanisms coexistence and ecosystem function. By utilizing scat DNA metabarcoding, our study revealed a detailed picture trophic interaction between two in cool temperate forest Northeast China. Both red foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ) leopard cats Prionailurus bengalensis consumed diverse range prey (52 taxa from 11 orders) dominated by Rodentia (56.5–64.9%). Bipartite network analysis suggested that both predators are generalists have high degree overlap (Pianka's index = 0.77). However, diet patterns differed predators. more during snow‐free period than snow‐covered period, which resulted lower 0.43). Another important source was proportion large consumed, with consuming ungulates do throughout year regions apex carnivores, tigers Panthera tigris leopards P. pardus ). The presence carnivores provides stable carrion resources, facilitates mesocarnivores. Our clues about strategies mesocarnivores, critical within carnivore communities.

Language: Английский

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Why does animal home range size decrease with population density?

Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 106(4)

Published: April 1, 2025

Spatial confinement to a home range is theorized be more energetically efficient method of acquiring resources than random searching due spatial memory. Intraspecific studies that have compared size at different population densities found ranges shrink as density increases. This negative trend could increased conspecific competition via increase or correlations between resource and density. We use the 10-year cycle snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) individual-level food-add experiments case study assess whether mechanism relationship related from confounds Over six winters (1 December-31 March) 50-fold change in density, we estimated weekly sizes (n = 464; 90% minimum convex polygons) 88 radio-collared hares, which 26 were food-supplemented. controls; decreased by 2.5 ha hare 0.24 1.2 hare/ha. Food-supplemented showed response controls (4.0 ± 0.56 decrease per 1 hare/ha increase). Our results suggest not Likely, there trade-off acquisition some other density-driven constraint when foraging high densities, reduction sharing minimize maintain familiarity densities.

Language: Английский

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Intra‐population variation in the effects of sea ice reduction on an Arctic breeding bird

Ecosphere, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16(4)

Published: April 1, 2025

Abstract The Arctic is warming four times faster than any other region on Earth, leading to a dramatic reduction in sea ice. Even though ice plays key role the ecology of many species, few studies have assessed consequences its disappearance dynamics wildlife populations. Moreover, potential intra‐population variations such effects remain largely overlooked. Here, using 40‐year time series, we how changes High fjord affected population common eiders Somateria mollissima via their fine‐scale breeding distribution and these varied among sites. More specifically, some islands within used be connected by landfast shore most spring thus accessible one main eider predators, fox Vulpes lagopus . Following fjord, recently became disconnected much earlier season inaccessible foxes. We tested prediction that now represent favorable nesting grounds for populations increased following retreat. Our results support our played predation mediating effects. overall has slightly declined last decades, recent led rapid colonization newly available habitats an increasing number there. Inter‐annual did not significantly affect were historically isolated from predation. Ignoring variation between sites risk masks dynamics. study illustrates complex importance

Language: Английский

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Defining the danger zone: critical snow properties for predator–prey interactions

Oikos, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 2023(10)

Published: July 3, 2023

Snowpack dynamics have a major influence on wildlife movement ecology and predator–prey interactions. Specific snow properties such as density, hardness, depth determine how much an animal sinks into the snowpack, which in turn drives both energetic cost of locomotion predation risk. Here, we quantified relationships between five field‐measured variables track sink depths for widely distributed predators (bobcats Lynx rufus , cougars Puma concolor coyotes Canis latrans wolves C. lupus ) sympatric ungulate prey (caribou Rangifer tarandus white‐tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus mule O. hemionus moose Alces alces interior Alaska northern Washington, USA. We first used generalized additive models to identify metrics best predicted each species across all species. Next, breakpoint regression thresholds support best‐performing predictor (i.e. values wherein tracks do not appreciably deeper snow). Finally, identified ‘danger zones,' impedes mobility ungulates more than carnivores, by comparing relative hind leg lengths among pairs. Near‐surface (0–20 cm) density was strongest Thresholds occurred at near‐surface densities 220–310 kg m – 3 300–410 prey, danger zones peaked intermediate (200–300 eight ten These results can be link with spatially explicit modeling outputs projected future changes density. As climate change rapidly reshapes snowpack dynamics, these provide useful framework anticipate likely winners losers winter conditions.

Language: Английский

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