scholarly journals Evidence for Selective Caching by Arctic Ground Squirrels Living in Alpine Meadows in the Yukon

ARCTIC ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Gillis ◽  
Shawn F. Morrison ◽  
Grant D. Zazula ◽  
David S. Hik
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

scholarly journals Why are Arctic ground squirrels more stressed in the boreal forest than in alpine meadows?

Ecoscience ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Hik ◽  
Carolyn J. McColl ◽  
Rudy Boonstra
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

Evidence for source - sink dynamics in a regional population of arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii plesius)

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Donker ◽  
Charles J. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Context Variable ◽  
Urocitellus Parryii ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels ◽  
Source Sink

Context Variable demographic rates can manifest themselves between habitat types in the form of source–sink dynamics where populations in sink habitats would not exist without the addition of migrants from source habitats. Aims Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii pleisus (Osgood, 1900)) occupy a large geographic area in northern Canada and live in a variety of habitat types, including boreal forest, low-elevation meadows and alpine meadows, providing an opportunity to investigate the possible existence of source–sink dynamics. Methods We hypothesised that arctic ground squirrels in the south-western Yukon exhibit demographic characteristics indicative of source–sink dynamics. Boreal forest habitat could be a sink in spite of previous high squirrel densities, whereas meadows could be a source. We investigated this by mark–recapture live-trapping and radio-telemetry. Key Results In the boreal forest in the Kluane region, we found reduced recruitment, reduced population growth rates (λ), and reduced survivorship for radio-collared individuals that moved from low-elevation meadows into the boreal forest. There was no evidence from radio-collared juveniles of dispersal from high-density ground squirrel populations in alpine meadows down into boreal forest. Conclusions Boreal forest is a sink habitat for arctic ground squirrels. Source–sink dynamics observed between low-elevation meadow and boreal forest habitats appear to result from increased predation pressure in the boreal forest. The result has been a near extirpation of boreal forest arctic ground squirrels in the Kluane region since 1998. Implications Because the source areas of low-elevation meadows occupy only 7–9% of the lowland habitat, recolonisation of boreal forest sites has been very slow. Whereas alpine populations remain high in 2011, boreal forest populations remain near zero. Alpine populations do not appear to be a source for the boreal forest.

Habitat-specific distribution and abundance of arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii plesius) in southwest Yukon

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 570-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Donker ◽  
C.J. Krebs
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Alpine Meadows ◽  
Specific Distribution ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Urocitellus Parryii ◽  
Low Altitude ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

Arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii plesius (Osgood, 1900); formerly Spermophilus parryii plesius Osgood, 1900) were studied in three distinct habitat types (boreal forest, low-elevation meadows, and alpine meadows) in the Kluane region of the southwest Yukon Territory, Canada, from 2008 to 2010 to determine if populations in these different habitats provide evidence for habitat-specific distribution and abundance. Abundance in the boreal forest has been shown to be synchronous with the cycle of snowshoe hares ( Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) in the region owing to shared predators. We predicted that populations in the boreal forest would be low because of the current low phase in the cycle of snowshoe hares, and that in low-altitude meadows and alpine meadows, ground squirrels would be relatively abundant. Late-summer densities differed significantly between habitat types with 0.38 ± 0.13 squirrel/ha (mean ± 1 SE) in boreal-forest habitat, 1.25 ± 0.22 squirrel/ha in low-altitude-meadow habitat, and 5.7 ± 0.22 squirrels/ha in alpine-meadow habitat. In 2009, populations were extirpated from boreal-forest habitat, while densities in low-elevation meadows and alpine meadows were 1.6 ± 0.34 squirrel/ha and 6.1 ± 0.7 squirrels/ha, respectively. The current absence of squirrels from the boreal forest and the persistence of populations in low-elevation-meadow and alpine-meadow habitat suggest that source–sink dynamics may exist between boreal-forest and meadow habitat types.

scholarly journals Habitat selection by arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii)

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 1251-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver E. Barker ◽  
Andrew E. Derocher
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Spermophilus Parryii ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

MAPKs are differentially modulated in arctic ground squirrels during hibernation

2005 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 862-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiongwei Zhu ◽  
Mark A. Smith ◽  
George Perry ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Austin P. Ross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

scholarly journals Interrelationships Among Timing of Hibernation, Reproduction, and Warming Soil in Free-Living Female Arctic Ground Squirrels

2012 ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cory T. Williams ◽  
Michael J. Sheriff ◽  
Franziska Kohl ◽  
Brian M. Barnes ◽  
C. Loren Buck
Keyword(s):  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

Landscape-scale habitat associations of small mammals on the western coast of Hudson Bay

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hawkshaw ◽  
Lee Foote ◽  
Alastair Franke
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Distance Sampling ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Water Index ◽  
Arctic Ground Squirrels

Availability of suitable habitat affects the distribution and abundance of Arctic fauna, influencing how species respond to climate change and disturbance from resource extraction in the region. We surveyed Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii Richardson, 1825) using distance sampling transects and concurrently counted microtine rodent burrows. Abundance of Arctic ground squirrels and microtine burrows was positively correlated with terrain ruggedness. Microtine burrows were more abundant inland and in areas with freshwater, while Arctic ground squirrels were more often found at low elevation without freshwater. Arctic ground squirrel abundance was positively related to the normalized difference water index, a proxy for vegetation water content, while microtine burrows were weakly correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index. Our study highlights the habitat associations of ecologically significant small mammals in an underrepresented Arctic study area.

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