96 research outputs found
Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) State of Research: 2000-2015
The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (CCE) encompasses a 72,000 sq. km area of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia, and northwestern Montana. Known for its biodiversity, including a full compliment of mammalian carnivores, managing this ecosystem across many jurisdictional boundaries is challenging. With many stakeholders involved in the Crown of Continent Ecosystem, tracking the research being conducted in this area is essential. This publication includes an annotated bibliography of more than 250 research documents published between between 2000-2015 and makes recommendations as to which areas and topics require further study within the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem.Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent AMI Grant (Activating Crown of the Continent Youth)
Institute for Environmental Sustainability, Department of Biology student conference grant
Population dynamics of reintroduced elk (Cervus elaphus) in eastern North America
Studies that focus on identifying factors that influence reintroduction success have often taken an
individual population approach; however, investigating multiple populations can provide
additional insight. The overall objective of this research was to emphasize the value of using
within- and among-population approaches to identifying factors that influence the population
dynamics of a reintroduced species. Elk (Cervus elaphus), a species that was extirpated from
eastern North America during the late 1800s, has been reintroduced to portions of its former
range over the past century through several initiatives. Today, there are several established
populations across eastern regions of the USA and Canada, for which extensive monitoring data
are available, creating an opportunity to investigate reintroduction success. I aimed to use these
data to identify factors associated with changes in the survival and population growth rates of 10
reintroduced elk populations across eastern North America. More specifically, I: (1) performed a
literature review detailing the history of elk reintroduction in eastern North America over the
past century, (2) identified factors associated with the variation in population growth rates
(reintroduction success) for 10 reintroduced elk populations using an among-population
approach, (3) identified and assessed how climate affected the population growth rates of 7
reintroduced elk populations, and (4) investigated direct causes of mortality (predation and train
collisions) associated with a single elk population experiencing low population growth.
Although the number of successful elk restoration attempts has increased over the past century,
there has been substantial variation in population growth rates among reintroductions. Major
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causes of elk mortality in restored populations differed between the pre- to post-acclimation
phases of reintroduction. Population growth rates were negatively related to the percentage of
coniferous forest within elk population range, suggesting that expansive areas of coniferous
forests in eastern North America may represent sub-optimal elk habitat.
The Burwash elk population in Ontario had low growth rate compared to most other populations
reintroduced into eastern North America. Predation and train collisions were the most important
source of mortality for this population. The number of annual elk-train collisions, as well as their
locations, were monitored and recorded over 14 years. Collision locations were highly sitespecific
and were positively correlated to the proximity of bends in the railway. By relating the
number of annual elk-train collisions to various climate factors, I found that collision rates were
positively related to snow depth. By analyzing field camera data, I found that elk used the
railway mostly during the fall and spring, when elk commonly travel to and from wintering
grounds. However, by examining VHF telemetry locations, I determined that elk were closer to
the railway in winter than in any other season. Railways likely are perceived by elk as easy travel
corridors, especially in the winter, and deep snow might prevent escape from oncoming trains.
Black bear (Ursus americanus) and wolves (Canis lupus) were the major predators of elk in the
Burwash population. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), elk (Cervus elaphus), and
moose (Alces alces), were the ungulate prey species available to both predators. To determine if
predators prefer one ungulate species over another, and to identify which predator species is
likely to have a greater impact on elk survival, I investigated predator diets. To compare rates of
v
ungulate use by predators in relation to prey availability, I calculated the relative abundance of
each ungulate species. I found that wolves used juvenile and adult elk as their primary ungulate
prey in greater proportions in comparison to their availability. Bears on the other hand, tended to
use all ungulate species in proportion to their availability.
Climate is well known to affect ungulate population dynamics; however, several factors (e.g.:
density, predator presence), can govern the response. Relating the annual growth rates of 7 elk
populations to various climate factors I found that responses were population specific. Increased
annual snow fall was associated with declines in population growth rates for 2 of the 7
populations assessed and only 1 population responded negatively to increased summer
temperatures. Climate likely interacts with other environmental variables to influence
fluctuations in annual population growth rates which warrants further investigation.
The results of this research will contribute to informed planning of future elk reintroductions and
should support development through improved management. In addition, this research highlights
the importance of using within- and among- populations approaches to investigating factors that
influence elk reintroduction success.Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Boreal Ecolog
The Lives, Lore, and Literature of Cranes: A Catechism for Crane Lovers
This book provides basic information on cranes that should be of interest and importance to crane-loving birders (“craniacs”) as well as to ornithologists and wildlife managers. Primary consideration is given to the sandhill and whooping cranes, but all 13 of the Old World cranes are also discussed. Special consideration is given to the relative abundance and conservation status of all of the world’s species, of which nearly half are declining and a few are in real danger of long-term survival. More than 80 refuges and preserves in the United States and Canada, where the best chances of seeing cranes in the wild exist, are described, as are several zoos and bird parks with notable crane collections. Descriptions of 16 North American annual crane festivals and information on more than 50 birdfinding guides from regions, states, and provinces where cranes are most likely to be seen are included. Lastly, there is a sampling of American, European, and Oriental crane folklore, legends, and myths. The text contains more than 50,000 words and nearly 350 literature references. There are more than 40 drawings and 3 maps by the author and 19 color photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1093/thumbnail.jp
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Terrestrial Mammal Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for terrestrial mammals excluding bats and primates
Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals.This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals.The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative.Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation
Impacts des changements globaux sur les interactions trophiques du caribou forestier, une espèce parapluie de la forêt boréale
Les changements globaux, induits par l'augmentation et le cumul des perturbations naturelles et anthropiques, modifient les caractéristiques environnementales, et par conséquent la répartition des espèces et la dynamique des réseaux trophiques. Les principaux objectifs de mon travail sont: 1) de caractériser, dans le contexte des changements globaux, les effets spécifiques et cumulés des perturbations naturelles et anthropiques sur les interactions prédateur-proie chez les grands mammifères, et 2) d'évaluer comment les changements globaux affecteraient la pertinence de la stratégie d'aménagement d'une espèce parapluie pour la conservation de la biodiversité régionale. Mon système d'étude est le caribou des bois (Rangifer tarandus caribou), écotype forestier, sujet à la prédation par les loups gris (Canis lupus) dans la région de la Côte-Nord (QC, Canada). Dans le Chapitre 1, j'évalue l'impact des épidémies de tordeuse des bourgeons de l'épinette (Choristoneura fumiferana) sur la répartition, la survie et les interactions trophiques du caribou. Pour cela, j'ai utilisé des relevés annuels de la sévérité des épidémies de tordeuse combinés avec les localisations des caribous et des loups munis de colliers GPS ainsi que des inventaires aériens d'orignaux (Alces alces). Pour considérer les effets de l'épidémie de tordeuse sur l'orignal, le loup et le caribou, j'ai utilisé des analyses de sélection d'habitat et de survie pour le caribou. J'ai démontré comment une épidémie d'insectes induit un enfeuillement, créant une augmentation de ressources pour les orignaux, résultant à une suite de réponses spatiales et démographiques chez l'orignal, le loup et le caribou. La réponse numérique de l'orignal et les réponses comportementales de l'orignal et du loup étaient fortement associées à une réponse négative chez le caribou. Le risque de mortalité du caribou était plus élevé pour les individus sélectionnant les peuplements forestiers les plus sévèrement affectés par la tordeuse, surtout si les peuplements étaient coupés après l'épidémie. Mes travaux indiquent une compétition apparente « retardée » entre l'orignal et le caribou médiée par la prédation des loups. En plus de l'impact des épidémies d'insectes, les feux de forêt et l'aménagement forestier menacent les caribous en modifiant également les interactions trophiques. Dans le Chapitre 2, j'ai évalué les effets cumulés de l'aménagement forestier et des changements climatiques sur la mortalité du caribou. En utilisant un modèle spatialement explicite centré sur l'individu (IBM), j'ai simulé le déplacement des animaux et les interactions interspécifiques dans des paysages virtuels, variant selon trois niveaux de coupes et trois scénarios de changement climatique. Je démontre que les changements induits par le climat et l'aménagement forestier influencent les interactions trophiques en exacerbant la compétition apparente, par une augmentation asymétrique de la disponibilité des ressources. Mon modèle prévoit un enfeuillement induit par les changements globaux, augmentant l'abondance des orignaux et des loups, avec des conséquences désastreuses pour le caribou. De plus, je démontre que les effets provenant de la réponse numérique prédominent par rapport à une réponse comportementale seule. Ainsi, les changements globaux devraient fondamentalement modifier la structure du réseau trophique, renforçant les interactions indirectes par la compétition apparente. Un autre résultat majeur souligne que l'impact de l'aménagement forestier devrait être plus précoce et trois fois plus élevé que l'impact des changements climatiques. Afin de préserver la biodiversité, ces résultats suggèrent de se concentrer d'abord sur la réduction des impacts négatifs de l'aménagement forestier. Enfin, dans le Chapitre 3, j'ai évalué l'impact des changements climatiques et de l'aménagement forestier sur le maintien de la biodiversité. Plus précisément, j'ai évalué l'efficacité et l'effet parapluie des stratégies d'aménagement de l'habitat du caribou forestier dans un contexte de changements globaux pour la conservation des oiseaux et des coléoptères. J'ai combiné des modèles mécanistes spatialement explicites pour prévoir l'efficacité des stratégies d'aménagement sur la survie du caribou, et des modèles prédictifs d'occurrence pour caractériser l'impact sur le maintien des assemblages d'espèces. Les paysages ont été simulés selon quatre aménagements forestiers, dont deux stratégies d'aménagement, et trois scénarios de changement climatique. Je démontre que les stratégies d'aménagement, conçues pour la conservation du caribou, devraient également maintenir les assemblages d'oiseaux et de coléoptères. Bien que j'ai détecté un effet plus important de l'aménagement forestier, l'effet parapluie des stratégies d'aménagement dépendraient également de la sévérité des changements climatiques. Les stratégies d'aménagement conçues pour une seule espèce pourraient donc avoir un important effet parapluie pour la biodiversité.Global change, through the increase and cumulative impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, is predicted to modify species distributions and food-web dynamics, through changes in environmental characteristics. The main goals of my work are two-fold: 1) characterize, in the context of global change, the specific and cumulative effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on predator-prey interactions among large mammals, and 2) assess how global change is expected to impact the relevance of recovery strategy of an umbrella species for the conservation of regional biodiversity. My study system was the boreal ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), subject most notably to predation by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the Côte-Nord region (QC, Canada). In Chapter 1, I assess the impact of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana) outbreaks on the distribution, survival and trophic interactions of boreal caribou. For this, I used annual surveys of spruce budworm outbreak severity, and combined these data with locations of GPS-collared caribou and wolves, and aerial inventories of moose (Alces alces). To account for comparative effects of spruce budworm outbreak on expected responses in moose, wolves, and caribou, I used a statistical habitat selection and survival analyses for boreal caribou. For the first time, I demonstrated how an insect outbreak triggers a flush of deciduous vegetation creating a resource pulse for herbivores, which then translates into a suite of spatial and demographic responses in moose, wolves, and boreal caribou. I show a numerical response in moose and behavioral responses in both moose and wolves that associated strongly with a negative response in caribou. Consistently, mortality risk of caribou was higher for individuals selecting forest stands most severely impacted by spruce budworm, especially if stands were logged post-outbreak. My work is indicative of "delayed" apparent competition between moose and caribou via wolf predation because wolves clearly showed selection to use impacted areas after post-outbreak logging that were of greatest risk to caribou. In addition to the impact of insect outbreaks, wildfires and forest harvesting threaten boreal caribou populations by also altering trophic interactions. Given the latest and harsh climate change projections, in Chapter 2, I assessed the cumulative impacts of forest harvesting and climate change on the mortality of boreal caribou. I use a spatially explicit individual-based model (IBM) to simulate animal movement and species interaction in virtual landscapes, varying in terms of three levels of forest management and three climate change scenarios. I demonstrate that climate- and land-use-induced changes influence trophic interactions by exacerbating apparent competition, through asymmetric increase in resource availability between the two herbivores species. My analysis forecasts how climate and land-use changes increase the proportion of deciduous vegetation, and show this bottom-up forcing increases moose and wolf abundance, with dire consequences for boreal caribou. Moreover, I partition the indirect effects on caribou into behavioral-numeric versus behavioral only interactions and show that numeric effects predominated. Thus, combined impacts of land-use and climate changes can fundamentally alter the food web structure, making indirect interactions stronger through apparent competition. Another major result highlights that land-use impacts are predicted to be earlier and three times higher than climate change impacts. This has globally relevant and urgent implications for biodiversity conservation - focus first on reducing negative impacts of land-use change as an effective longer-term climate change biodiversity conservation strategy. Finally, in Chapter 3, I assessed the impact of global climate and land-use changes on biodiversity integrity. More specifically, I assessed the effectiveness and umbrella value of management strategies designed to meet the needs of the boreal caribou in a context of global change for conservation of birds and beetles. I combined mechanistic, spatially explicit models to forecast the impact of management strategies on the survival of boreal caribou, and predictive models of species occupancy to characterize concurrent impacts on bird and beetle diversity. Landscapes were simulated based on four forest management plans, including two management strategies, and three climate change scenarios. I found that strategies that best mitigate human impact on boreal caribou were also the best at maintaining bird and beetle assemblages. While I detected a stronger effect of land-use change compared to climate change, the umbrella value of the management strategies was also impacted by the severity of climate change. Single-species conservation actions may therefore have important umbrella biodiversity benefits
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Wilderness Nation: Building Canada's Railway Landscapes, 1885-1929
Central to Canadian identity is a national consciousness of inhabiting a country of vast landscapes, which are often identified as "wilderness." This thesis explores the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's use of architecture, landscape, and spatial techniques to construct Canadian concepts of wilderness during a crucial period of national expansion, economic growth, and cultural development. In alignment with federal projects of cultural nationalism, the country's first transcontinental railway promoted land-grant sales and tourism by representing Canadian landscapes as wilderness areas to be at turns enhanced as scenic locales, tamed by agriculture, preserved as intact environments, or assimilated into a folk heritage. The thesis is organized through a series of four case studies, each of which examines a particular architectural episode pertaining to a different variation of the wilderness ideal.
The first case study, "A Civilized Wilderness" studies a tourism program initiated following the railroad's completion in 1885, in which luxury railway hotels were constructed in locations seen as exhibiting the scenic properties of the aesthetic sublime. "A Fertile Wilderness" examines the railway's ready-made farm program of 1909 to 1914, which envisioned the redemption of sprawling Prairie wilderness areas within picturesque farming communities. "A Recreational Wilderness" examines a bungalow camp program from 1919 to 1929 that promoted the forests as a haven for riding, hiking, and residing in rustic cabins. Finally, "A Primitive Wilderness" examines the C.P.R.-sponsored Banff Indian Days festival that was fully formed between 1911 and 1929, in which Natives were associated with images of untouched wilderness settings belonging to a distant past. This thesis studies how both the railway infrastructure itself and its landscapes came to be constructed as aesthetic objects, relating to landscape traditions in Europe and North America, and contributing to the conceptualization of wilderness as an integral part of cultural nationalism in Canada
Terrestrial Mammal Conservation
"Terrestrial Mammal Conservation provides a thorough summary of the available scientific evidence of what is known, or not known, about the effectiveness of all of the conservation actions for wild terrestrial mammals across the world (excluding bats and primates, which are covered in separate synopses). Actions are organized into categories based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifications of direct threats and conservation actions. Over the course of fifteen chapters, the authors consider interventions as wide ranging as creating uncultivated margins around fields, prescribed burning, setting hunting quotas and removing non-native mammals.
This book is written in an accessible style and is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone concerned with the practical conservation of terrestrial mammals.
The authors consulted an international group of terrestrial mammal experts and conservationists to produce this synopsis. Funding was provided by the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia and National Geographic Big Cats Initiative.
Terrestrial Mammal Conservation is the seventeenth publication in the Conservation Evidence Series, linked to the online resource www.ConservationEvidence.com. Conservation Evidence Synopses are designed to promote a more evidence-based approach to biodiversity conservation. Others in the series include Bat Conservation, Primate Conservation, Bird Conservation and Forest Conservation and more are in preparation. Expert assessment of the evidence summarised within synopses is provided online and within the annual publication What Works in Conservation.
Guide to the ecological systems of Colorado
Includes bibliographical references
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