Nitrogen fertilization stimulates herbivory by snowshoe hares in the boreal forest

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilis O. Nams ◽  
Nicholas F. G. Folkard ◽  
James N. M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilization ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
General Area ◽  
Snowshoe Hares

We fertilized small plots in the boreal forest of the southwestern Yukon, Canada, to see how herbivory was affected. We assessed snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) activity by counting pellets, and estimated grazing on grass as the proportion of blades eaten. After 2 years of fertilization, snowshoe hares spent more time on and near the test plots with more fertilizer. More grass was grazed on those plots but not near them. Thus, herbivores were attracted to the general area of the fertilized plots but only grazed directly on the plots.

Clear-cutting and regeneration practices in Quebec boreal balsam fir forest: effects on snowshoe hare

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia de Bellefeuille ◽  
Louis Bélanger ◽  
Jean Huot ◽  
Agathe Cimon
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Seedling Stage ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Term Basis ◽  
Protective Cover

We compared utilization by the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus Erxleben) of recent clearcuts subjected to three regeneration scenarios commonly used in boreal forest: natural regeneration, plantation with herbicide release (glyphosate), and plantation with manual release (brushsaw). Refuges for snowshoe hare, on a landscape dominated by clearcuts, were also investigated. Colonization of regenerating sites by the hare comes late in the humid boreal forest because clear-cut stands take more than 10 years to reach the sapling stage. Our sites were in the seedling stage 7–9 years after cutting, and hares avoided them year round because of an inadequate protective cover. Therefore, regeneration treatments did not affect habitat use by the hare on a short-term basis. During the seedling stage, the snowshoe hare were found in the remaining forest which occupied at least 25% of the area of each home range. The preservation of residual forests is thus essential to maintain local populations on an area dominated by commercial clearcuts.

scholarly journals Patterns and potential drivers of intraspecific variability in the body elemental composition of a terrestrial consumer, the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Rizzuto ◽  
Shawn J. Leroux ◽  
Eric Vander Wal ◽  
Yolanda F. Wiersma ◽  
Travis R. Heckford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
The Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Weak Relationship ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
P Content

AbstractIntraspecific variability in ecological traits is widespread in nature. Recent evidence, mostly from aquatic ecosystems, shows individuals differing at the most fundamental level, that of their chemical composition. Age, sex, or body size may be key drivers of intraspecific variability in the body concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). However, we still have a rudimentary understanding of the patterns and drivers of intraspecific variability in chemical composition of terrestrial consumers, particularly vertebrates.Here, we investigate the whole-body chemical composition of snowshoe hare Lepus americanus, providing one of the few studies of patterns of stoichiometric variability and its potential drivers for a terrestrial vertebrate. Based on snowshoe hare ecology, we expected higher P and N concentrations in females, as well as in larger and older individuals.We obtained whole-body C, N, and P concentrations and C:N, C:P, N:P ratios from a sample of 50 snowshoe hares. We then used general linear models to test for evidence of a relationship between age, sex, or body size and stoichiometric variability in hares.We found considerable variation in the C, N, and P concentrations and elemental ratios within our sample. Contrary to our predictions, we found evidence of N content decreasing with age. As expected, we found evidence of P content increasing with body size. As well, we found no support for a relationship between sex and N or P content, nor for variability in C content and any of our predictor variables.Despite finding considerable stoichiometric variability in our sample, we found no substantial support for age, sex, or body size to relate to this variation. The weak relationship between body N concentration and age may suggest varying nutritional requirements of individuals at different ages. Conversely, P’s weak relationship to body size appears in line with recent evidence of the potential importance of P in terrestrial systems. Snowshoe hares are a keystone herbivore in the boreal forest of North America. The substantial stoichiometric variability we find in our sample could have important implications for nutrient dynamics in both boreal and adjacent ecosystems.

What factors determine cyclic amplitude in the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) cycle?

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (12) ◽  
pp. 1039-1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Krebs ◽  
John Bryant ◽  
Knut Kielland ◽  
Mark O’Donoghue ◽  
Frank Doyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Amplitude Variation ◽  
Regional Monitoring ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Existing Data

Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) fluctuate in 9–10 year cycles throughout much of their North American range. These cycles show large variations in cyclic amplitude and we ask what factors could cause amplitude variation. We gathered data from 1976 to 2012 on hare numbers in the boreal forest of Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia to describe the amplitude of hare fluctuations and to evaluate four possible causes. First, weather could cause variation in amplitude via hare reproduction or survival, but this mechanism does not fit our data. Second, bottom-up processes involving forest succession could explain amplitude variation through changes in winter forage availability, but succession is too slow a variable in our study areas. Third, plant defenses entrained by hare over-browsing in one cycle can produce variation in plant quality and quantity in subsequent cycles. A mathematical model suggests this is a possible explanation. Fourth, predator recovery following the cyclic low is inversely related to hare cyclic amplitude, and the existing data are consistent with this mechanism. A standardized regional monitoring program is needed to improve our understanding of cyclic amplitude variation in hares and the possible role of predators and winter foods in affecting amplitude.

scholarly journals Serologic Survey of Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) in the Greater Yellowstone Area for Brucellosis, Tularemia, and Snowshoe Hare Virus

2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Rhyan ◽  
Dan Tyers ◽  
Jeremy Zimmer ◽  
Kristen Lewandowski ◽  
Steve Hennager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Greater Yellowstone Area ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Greater Yellowstone ◽  
Serologic Survey

Antibodies to Francisella tularensis in the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus struthopus) populations of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and in the moose (Alces alces americana Clinton) population of Nova Scotia

1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Akerman ◽  
J. A. Embil
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Francisella Tularensis ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Alces Alces ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
First Report ◽  
Snowshoe Hares

A serological survey showed antibodies to Francisella tularensis present in 1.55% of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus struthopus) and 1.06% of moose (Alces alces americana Clinton) sampled in Nova Scotia. No antibody-positive hares were found in Prince Edward Island, however. We believe this to be the first report of antibodies to F. tularensis in the moose.

Changes in relative abundance of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) across a 265-year gradient of boreal forest succession

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 908-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Hodson ◽  
Daniel Fortin ◽  
Louis Bélanger
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Forest Succession ◽  
Faecal Pellet ◽  
Canopy Gaps ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Snowshoe Hares

Understory regeneration within canopy gaps in old-growth boreal forests may provide suitable habitat for wildlife typically associated with early-seral stages, leading to an increase in their abundance in late succession. We surveyed a chronosequence of postfire (17–265 years) and postharvest (3–63 years) stands in Canada’s eastern boreal forest to determine whether snowshoe hares ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) followed a bimodal abundance distribution with stand age that reflects changes in food and cover during postdisturbance succession. A strong peak in relative hare abundance occurred during the first 80 years of succession, with highest faecal pellet densities observed between 40 and 50 years after disturbance. Changes in hare abundance during this period were similar among fire- and clearcut-origin stands and closely tracked changes in lateral cover and vertical cover. Pellet density increased again in stands >180 years. Variation in hare abundance during late succession was partially mediated by gap dynamics, with highest pellet densities in stands occupied by an intermediate proportion of mortality-origin canopy gaps. Hares thus undergo rapid changes in abundance during early succession followed by a much longer period of subtle changes in density as stands develop old-growth structure. Shifting forest age-class distribution induced by forest management could therefore significantly alter regional spatiotemporal dynamics of snowshoe hares.

scholarly journals Stand-level Attributes of Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) Habitat in a Post-Fire Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Chronosequence in Central Yukon

2013 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne L. Strong ◽  
Thomas S. Jung
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
White Spruce ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Understory Shrubs

Large-scale fires are anticipated to increase in frequency in the boreal forest under global climate warming scenarios. To understand concomitant responses by wildlife to fire-induced habitat changes, fecal pellet counts were used to assess Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) use of four age-classes of boreal forest after fire in central Yukon, Canada. Use of stands across a chronosequence of 8–177 years was bimodal. Post-fire Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands ≤20 years old had greater densities of Snowshoe Hare pellets (median 156 pellets/dam2) than Trembling Aspen stands 21–70 years old, mixedwood stands 71–120 years old (<17 pellets/dam2), or Western White Spruce (Picea albertiana) -dominated stands 121–170 years old (71 pellets/dam2). Forty stand-level compositional and structural variables were assessed as possible predictors of Snowshoe Hare pellet densities. Multidimensional scaling was used to identify variables (n = 10) that were most strongly related to pellet densities and was followed by multiple regression. Canopy cover of Trembling Aspen <50 cm tall and Western White Spruce ≤1 m tall, and deadfall depth, in combination, were the best estimators of Snowshoe Hare pellet densities among stands in the chronosequence (P <0.001, 64.5% variance explained). Although Trembling Aspen <50 cm tall explained the most variance, its canopy cover did not exceed 10%. More Trembling Aspen cover <50 cm tall and greater deadfall depths within the chronosequence were associated with stands ≤20 years old. Peak Snowshoe Hare use occurred in early (≤20 years old) rather than mid-successional (21–120 years old) stands, contrary to use patterns reported elsewhere. The lack of tall understory shrubs likely limited the use of mid-successional stands.

scholarly journals California encephalitis virus endemicity in the Yukon Territory, 1972

1973 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. McLean ◽  
Alison M. Clarke ◽  
E. J. Goddard ◽  
A. S. Manes ◽  
C. A. Montalbetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Tree Squirrels ◽  
Culiseta Inornata ◽  
Aedes Communis

SUMMARYSera from 218 of 1574 (14%) small mammals collected in the Yukon Territory between 14 May and 13 August 1972 neutralized a Yukon strain of California encephalitis virus (snowshoe-hare subtype). These included 133 of 319 (42%) snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), 84 of 1243 (7%) ground squirrels (Citellus undulatus) and 1 of 12 (8%) tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). California encephalitis virus (snow-shoe hare subtype) was isolated from four pools of unengorged Aedes communis mosquitoes collected near Whitehorse (61° N., 135° W.) and on one occasion each from pools of the same species collected at Hunker Creek (64° N., 138° W.) and at mile 125, Dempster Highway (66° N., 138° W.) during July 1972. Replication of a Yukon strain of California encephalitis virus was observed in wild-caught Culiseta inornata and Aedes canadensis mosquitoes after intrathoracic injection and holding at temperatures of 80°, 50° and 40° F.

Description of nine species of Eimeria (Protozoa, Eimeriidae) in the snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, of central Alberta

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 1671-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. P. Samoil ◽  
W. M. Samuel
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Genus Eimeria

Nine species of the genus Eimeria were found during the examination of 629 snowshoe hares from central Alberta. Four, E. robertsoni, E. leporis, E. ruficaudati, and E. townsendi, described previously from other leporids, are redescribed; while five, E. athabascensis, E. keithi, E. holmesi, E. rochesterensis, and E. rowani are described as new species. The nine species belong to four groups of morphologically similar species. Species were distinguished on the basis of morphology, primarily the presence or absence of oocyst and sporocyst residua and a micropyle, and statistical analysis of oocyst and sporocyst measurements. The eimerians of all lagomorphs are reviewed and a key to the 19 species from Lepus spp. is presented.

Ectoparasites of rabbits and hares in Manitoba, Canada, with observations on age-specific dispersal in Haemodipsus setoni (Phthiraptera: Anoplura: Polyplacidae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry D. Galloway
Keyword(s):  
Lepus Americanus ◽  
Snowshoe Hare ◽  
Sylvilagus Floridanus ◽  
Mean Intensity ◽  
Pulex Irritans ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Eastern Cottontail ◽  
First Time

AbstractDuring 1994–2008, 58 adult and 195 juvenile eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus (Allen)), one adult and 23 juvenile snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus Erxleben), and eight adult white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii Bachman) (Mammalia: Leporidae) were examined for ectoparasites. The most abundant ectoparasite on cottontails was the sucking louse, Haemodipsus setoni Ewing (Phthiraptera; Polyplacidae), recorded from this host for the first time. Infestations in adult and juvenile cottontails were highly aggregated, k = 0.136 and 0.153, respectively. Prevalence of infestation in adult cottontails was 70.6%, with a mean intensity of 5614.1 (range: 1–166 249); 10 adults had more than 1000 lice. In juvenile cottontails, prevalence was 34.8% and mean intensity was 6.2 (range: 1–87). On adult cottontails, 73.4% of the total lice were nymphs, while on juvenile cottontails only 11.6% were nymphs. It appears that dispersal from parents to offspring is overwhelmingly achieved by adult lice. Seventeen adult cottontails were infested with the tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) (Acari: Ixodidae). No fleas specific to rabbits were collected but small numbers of the rodent fleas Monopsyllus vison (Baker), Orchopeas caedens (Jordan), and Aetheca wagneri (Baker) (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) were recorded. Only one snowshoe hare was infested with H. setoni and three were infested with H. leporispalustris; no fleas were found on snowshoe hares. Two white-tailed jackrabbits were infested with H. leporispalustris; one carried Pulex irritans Linnaeus (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), and none carried lice.

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