Winter habitat selection by lynx and coyotes in relation to snowshoe hare abundance

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 1444-1451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis L. Murray ◽  
Stan Boutin ◽  
Mark O'Donoghue
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Load Ratio ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Hunting Success ◽  
Snow Conditions

We examined the relationship between winter habitat selection among lynx (Lynx canadensis) and coyotes (Canis latrans) and relative snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) abundance by tracking in snow during three winters. Hare numbers were higher in dense spruce (Picea glauca) than in other habitats in 1987–1988, and both predator species selected that habitat in that year. In 1988–1989, hare distribution was similar among habitats, and both predators used spruce habitats relative to their availability. In 1989–1990, hare numbers were also similar among habitats, and lynx used spruce habitats according to availability, whereas coyotes selected dense spruce. Hares were the main prey of both species, and the distribution of hares chased and killed by lynx was similar to that predicted by habitat use. Lynx hunting success was also similar among habitats. In comparison, coyotes chased and killed more hares than expected and had higher hunting success in dense spruce. Snow was shallower and harder in all spruce habitats used by coyotes than in those travelled by lynx. This suggests that coyotes were more selective of snow conditions than lynx, probably as a result of their high foot-load (ratio of body mass to foot area) relative to that of hares. Coyotes scavenged more often than lynx, but neither species seemed to select habitats on the basis of carcass availability. We concluded that high hare densities influenced selection of dense spruce by both species in 1987–1988, and that coyotes may also have chosen habitats on the basis of hunting success and snow conditions.

The ecology of the lynx (Lynx canadensis) on Cape Breton Island

1983 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Parker ◽  
J. W. Maxwell ◽  
L. D. Morton ◽  
G. E. J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Limited Range ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Cape Breton Island ◽  
Cape Breton ◽  
Hunting Success ◽  
Main Component

Recruitment of lynx (Lynx canadensis) on Cape Breton Island declined from 1977–1978 through 1979–1980 concurrent with a decrease in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) densities. Suppressed recruitment resulted from a decline in pregnancy rates, especially in the yearling cohort, and increased mortality of kits during the first 6 months of life. Snowshoe hare was the main component in the diet of lynx during both winter and summer. Lynx rarely travelled together except for females with kits. Hunting success (percent successful chases) increased wth group size. Overall hunting success increased through the winter. Winter kill rates averaged one hare per lynx per 24 h. Home ranges of adults were larger in summer (25–32 km2) than in winter (12–18 km2). Daily cruising distances (kilometres per 24 h) were greater in summer (~9 km) than in winter (~8 km). Although lynx used all habitats within their home ranges, they selected for the advanced successional habitat (~20 years after cutting) both winter and summer. Mature conifer habitat was used more in summer than in winter. The short-term impact of extensive forest harvesting within the limited range of lynx on the highlands of Cape Breton Island is uncertain; in the long-term it should prove beneficial by increasing the availability of preferred advanced successional habitat. Harvesting of lynx should be closely controlled, especially during periods of reduced densities of snowshoe hares and suppressed recruitment of lynx.

Behavioural responses of lynx to declining snowshoe hare abundance

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 2817-2824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. P. Ward ◽  
Charles J. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Home Range Size ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Daily Travel

The behavioural responses of lynx (Lynx canadensis) to declines in snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) abundance were examined in the southwestern Yukon. Between April 1982 and June 1984, 11 lynx were radio tagged and monitored in and near the Kluane Game Sanctuary. Lynx home range size increased from 13.2 to 39.2 km2 concurrent with a decline in snowshoe hare abundance from 14.7 to 0.2 hares/ha. Below about 0.5 hares/ha, several lynx abandoned their home ranges and became nomadic, although they remained within the general study area. Lynx concentrated their foraging efforts in areas of relatively high snowshoe hare abundance and abandoned these areas after hares declined. Straight-line daily travel distance remained constant at 2.2−2.7 km/day above 1.0 hare/ha. Below 1.0 hares/ha, straight-line daily travel distances increased rapidly, reaching 5.5 km/day at 0.2 hares/ha. Three of seven radio-tagged lynx dispersed 250 km or more from the study area during the 1982 period of rapid hare decline. No similar long-distance emigrations were recorded after hare densities stabilized at less than 1.0 hares/ha. Trapping mortality was responsible for the loss of seven of nine radio-tagged lynx that travelled outside the game sanctuary. One lynx probably starved during the winter or spring of 1984. The high rate of trapping mortality outside the game sanctuary suggests that refugia in wilderness areas are important in maintaining lynx populations during periods of low recruitment.

Habitat preference of Canada lynx through a cycle in snowshoe hare abundance

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 1736-1745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garth Mowat ◽  
Brian Slough
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fires ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Mature Forest ◽  
Intensively Managed

We assessed habitat preference of a lynx (Lynx canadensis) population through 8 years of a snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle. Seventy-four percent of our southern Yukon study area was approximately 30-year-old regenerating forest resulting from a large wildfire. The study area was not trapped and lynx density was very high compared with other populations in North America. Contrary to our prediction, there was no discernable shift in habitat preference through the hare cycle; however, our habitat types were coarsely mapped and our radiolocations relatively inaccurate. Lynx may have altered their habitat preferences at finer scales (for patches <2 ha). Lynx showed strong preference for regenerating habitats over mature white spruce (Picea glauca) and alpine–subalpine. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) dominated regenerating stands were preferred over spruce–willow (Salix spp.) stands of equal age. Riparian willow stands were also preferred over mature spruce forest and alpine. Lynx used riparian willow stands more in winter, but we detected no other shifts in habitat preference between snow-free and winter periods. We did not detect any difference in habitat preference between sexes. Independent juveniles made greater use of mature forest and perhaps riparian willow than adults, but no other difference in preference between the two age groups was noted. Lynx preference for regenerating habitat over mature forest suggests that burns will benefit lynx, especially if the regenerating community is pine dominated. Logging will only likely provide similar benefits if a dense pine understory results, which is unlikely in intensively managed stands. The suppression of forest fires in recent decades may have contributed to the decline of lynx numbers in the south of their range.

scholarly journals The enigma of the 10-year wildlife population cycle solved? Evidence that the periodicity and regularity of the cycle are driven by a lunar zeitgeber

2015 ◽  
Vol 128 (4) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert L. Archibald
Keyword(s):  
Population Cycles ◽  
Amplitude Distribution ◽  
Ultraviolet B ◽  
Population Cycle ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Ruffed Grouse ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Wildlife Population

Despite nearly 100 years of research, the periodicity and regularity of the 10-year wildlife population cycle remain an enigma. This paper presents the hypothesis that the 9.3-year nodal half-cycle of the moon is the zeitgeber (“time-giver”) of the 10-year wildlife population cycle. The period of the population cycles of the Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) and Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is close to 9.3 years. These wildlife cycles have stayed closely in phase with the 9.3-year nodal half-cycle for 150 years. Population density of the Snowshoe Hare and Ruffed Grouse is inversely related to a 9.3-year cycle of the moon's tidal force. There is also a 9.3-year cycle of “nights without darkness” at the equinoxes, in which the full moon rises before sunset and sets after sunrise the following morning in certain years. Snowshoe Hare and Ruffed Grouse cycles are positively correlated with this phenomenon. The nodal cycle provides explanations for the key features of the 10-year wildlife cycle: regularity, periodicity, amplitude, distribution, and synchrony. Population models based solely on the nodal cycle account for 62% of the variation in the Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) cycle and 37% in the Ruffed Grouse cycle. The mechanism(s) by which herbivore cycles might be entrained by the lunar nodal cycle could involve a cyclic effect on factors including predation, stress, photoperiod, phenology, temperature, cloudiness, ultraviolet B radiation, cosmic rays, and food plant quality.

Habitat selection by lynx in the Northwest Territories

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 845-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G. Poole ◽  
Leslie A. Wakelyn ◽  
Paul N. Nicklen
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Selection Indices

An understanding of habitat selection by lynx (Lynx canadensis) in the northern boreal forest is needed to evaluate the potential impacts of habitat modification (wildfire and timber harvesting) on lynx populations. We quantified habitat selection by lynx in a 290-km2 study area in the western Northwest Territories from 1989 to 1993 by radio-collaring 27 adult lynx (12 females and 15 males). An 8-class habitat map, produced using Landsat thematic mapper data, was used to assess habitat selection. Lynx used habitats disproportionately to their availability (P < 0.001), both at the landscape level and within home ranges. Dense coniferous and dense deciduous forests had higher selection indices than other habitat classes, and wetland – lake bed complexes and open black spruce (Picea mariana) forests had lower selection indices. Habitat selection did not differ between the sexes or among years (P ≥ 0.4) Habitat alteration by wildfire in the northern boreal forest could significantly affect populations of the lynx and its primary prey, the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), particularly by maintaining or increasing the availability of dense forest and other preferred habitats.

A geographic analysis of snowshoe hare population demography

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1207-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis L Murray
Keyword(s):  
Survival Rates ◽  
Latitudinal Gradients ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Differential Survival ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Total Productivity ◽  
Reproductive Rates ◽  
Demographic Attributes

Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations across northern Canada and Alaska undergo 8- to 11-year cycles in numbers, but population trends in southern Canada and the contiguous United States are apparently either weakly cyclic, irruptive, or largely stable. Although the demographic attributes (population density, reproductive rates, and survival rates) of northern and southern hare populations should differ considerably to account for such differential trends, to date limited rangewide analyses of hare demography have been undertaken. I reviewed hunter harvest estimates and basic demographic attributes for hare populations across North America, and assessed the effect of latitude, longitude, and latitude × longitude interaction on the magnitude and variation of such attributes. Harvest estimates tended to be synchronous across the Great Lakes area and along the St. Lawrence River, whereas they varied more dramatically along a westward gradient and in hare populations suspected of being cyclic. Hare densities tended to be higher among apparently noncyclic than cyclic populations at numerical lows, as well as among studies where hare numbers were apparently increasing. Populations from northern latitudes tended to breed later than those in the south, and females from western areas produced larger, but fewer litters, than those from eastern populations; total productivity was similar across geographic areas. Survival rates for both adult and juvenile hares were higher in increasing populations than in decreasing populations. Survival of adults also decreased along a northwest gradient, whereas that of juveniles decreased across a western gradient and with longitude, was lower in apparently noncyclic populations, and was also lower in populations in areas of high lynx (Lynx canadensis) densities. I conclude that, although disparity clearly exists in the trends of various hare populations, the absence of strong latitudinal gradients in demographic attributes fails to support the hypothesis that differential survival/predation is responsible for the regional differences in numerical trends.

Diet and habitat selection of wood bison in relation to seasonal changes in forage quantity and quality

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 2677-2685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Larter ◽  
Cormack C. Gates
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Bison Bison ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Forage Availability ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Wood Bison ◽  
Snow Conditions ◽  
Selection Of

Diet and habitat selection of wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) were studied in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, Northwest Territories, between February 1986 and April 1988. Wood bison showed pronounced seasonal changes in diet. Sedges constituted 96.1–98.8% of the winter diet. During summer, the diet became a more diverse mix of sedge (Carex spp.), grass (Graminae), and willow (Salix spp.). Lichen (Cladina mitis) became a major dietary component in fall. Summer browsing on willows increased when sedge standing crops were reduced. Forage availability was the main factor determining habitat selection. Wet sedge meadows provided the most available crude protein in winter and were the preferred winter habitat. Willow savannas provided the most available crude protein in summer and were the preferred summer habitat. Between June and October, all forages except lichen decreased in nitrogen content and increased in fibre content. The lack of distinct habitat preference in fall corresponded to dispersion of animals into forested habitats, increased use of lichen as forage, and more homogeneous availability of crude protein among habitats. Snow conditions were harsher in 1987–1988 than in 1986–1987, which affected forage availability and caused a noticeable shift in habitat use.

scholarly journals Variable effects of snow conditions across boreal mesocarnivore species

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (10) ◽  
pp. 697-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.B. Pozzanghera ◽  
K.J. Sivy ◽  
M.S. Lindberg ◽  
L.R. Prugh
Keyword(s):  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Lynx Lynx ◽  
Lynx Canadensis ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Occupancy Modelling ◽  
Canada Lynx ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Snow Conditions

Mesocarnivores are increasingly recognized as key drivers of community dynamics, but the effects of bottom-up and abiotic factors on mesocarnivore populations remain poorly understood. We evaluated the effects of snow conditions, prey abundance, and habitat type on the distribution of five sympatric mesocarnivore species in interior Alaska using repeated snow-track surveys and occupancy modelling. Snow depth and snow compaction were the best predictors of mesocarnivore occupancy, with differential effects across species. Coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)) occurred in areas of shallow, compact snow; Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis Kerr, 1792) occurred in areas of shallow, fluffy snow; and wolverines (Gulo gulo (L., 1758)) and marten (Martes americana (Turton, 1806)) occurred in areas of deep, fluffy snow. These findings indicate that altered snow conditions due to climate change may have strong direct effects on the distribution of northern mesocarnivores, with divergent effects across species.

scholarly journals The Winter Habitat Selection of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Based on a Multi-Scale Model

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2454
Author(s):  
Yue Sun ◽  
Yanze Yu ◽  
Jinhao Guo ◽  
Minghai Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Cervus Elaphus ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Winter Habitat ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Optimal Scale ◽  
Scale Models ◽  
Selection Of

Single-scale frameworks are often used to analyze the habitat selections of species. Research on habitat selection can be significantly improved using multi-scale models that enable greater in-depth analyses of the scale dependence between species and specific environmental factors. In this study, the winter habitat selection of red deer in the Gogostaihanwula Nature Reserve, Inner Mongolia, was studied using a multi-scale model. Each selected covariate was included in multi-scale models at their “characteristic scale”, and we used an all subsets approach and model selection framework to assess habitat selection. The results showed that: (1) Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that the response scale of red deer to environmental factors was different among different covariate. The optimal scale of the single covariate was 800–3200 m, slope (SLP), altitude (ELE), and ratio of deciduous broad-leaved forests were 800 m in large scale, except that the farmland ratio was 200 m in fine scale. The optimal scale of road density and grassland ratio is both 1600 m, and the optimal scale of net forest production capacity is 3200 m; (2) distance to forest edges, distance to cement roads, distance to villages, altitude, distance to all road, and slope of the region were the most important factors affecting winter habitat selection. The outcomes of this study indicate that future studies on the effectiveness of habitat selections will benefit from multi-scale models. In addition to increasing interpretive and predictive capabilities, multi-scale habitat selection models enhance our understanding of how species respond to their environments and contribute to the formulation of effective conservation and management strategies for ungulata.

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