Summer movements of female moose at high density

Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005I examined factors influencing the summer movements of adult female moose (Alces alces gigas) at high density in interior Alaska, USA from 1996 to 2003. First, I tested how the distance moved from 4 to 0 days pre-partum was related to migration, change in cover use, reproductive maturity and individual behavior. Second, I evaluated whether long movements prior to parturition were related to predation on previous neonates. Third, I measured the scale of spatial fidelity exhibited by individuals to areas used in early spring (13 to 15 May) and areas used for parturition. Lastly, I compared summer movements of adult females during periods of low and high population density. Net movement of females 4 to 0 days prior to parturition was related to migration and a change in cover use. Movement was not related to reproductive experience, individual behavior, or prior predation of neonates. Pre-partum movements were longest for moose moving from open to dense cover. Individuals displayed higher fidelity to areas used in early spring (13 to 15 May) than to areas used for parturition. This predictable use of fine-scale areas may facilitate effective management of forage quality in early spring.Spring movements and spatial fidelity of maternal moose -- Restricted movements of Alaskan moose at high versus low population density -- General conclusions -- Literature cited

Behavioral modifications by a large-northern herbivore to mitigate warming conditions

Background: Temperatures in arctic-boreal regions are increasing rapidly and pose significant challenges to moose (Alces alces), a heat-sensitive large-bodied mammal. Moose act as ecosystem engineers, by regulating forest carbon and structure, below ground nitrogen cycling processes, and predator-prey dynamics. Previous studies showed that during hotter periods, moose displayed stronger selection for wetland habitats, taller and denser forest canopies, and minimized exposure to solar radiation. However, previous studies regarding moose behavioral thermoregulation occurred in Europe or southern moose range in North America. Understanding whether ambient temperature elicits a behavioral response in high-northern latitude moose populations in North America may be increasingly important as these arctic-boreal systems have been warming at a rate two to three times the global mean. Methods: We assessed how Alaska moose habitat selection changed as a function of ambient temperature using a step-selection function approach to identify habitat features important for behavioral thermoregulation in summer (June–August). We used Global Positioning System telemetry locations from four populations of Alaska moose (n = 169) from 2008 to 2016. We assessed model fit using the quasi-likelihood under independence criterion and conduction a leave-one-out cross validation. Results: Both male and female moose in all populations increasingly, and nonlinearly, selected for denser canopy cover as ambient temperature increased during summer, where initial increases in the conditional probability of selection were initially sharper then leveled out as canopy density increased above ~ 50%. However, the magnitude of selection response varied by population and sex. In two of the three populations containing both sexes, females demonstrated a stronger selection response for denser canopy at higher temperatures than males. We also observed a stronger selection response in the most southerly and northerly populations compared to populations in the west and central Alaska. Conclusions: The impacts of climate change in arctic-boreal regions increase landscape heterogeneity through processes such as increased wildfire intensity and annual area burned, which may significantly alter the thermal environment available to an animal. Understanding habitat selection related to behavioral thermoregulation is a first step toward identifying areas capable of providing thermal relief for moose and other species impacted by climate change in arctic-boreal regions.publishedVersio

BROWSE REMOVAL, PLANT CONDITION, AND TWINNING RATES BEFORE AND AFTER SHORT-TERM CHANGES IN MOOSE DENSITY

We monitored forage-based indices of intraspecific  competition at changing moose (Alces alces) densities to  gauge short-term, density-dependent environmental feedback and to ultimately improve management of moose for elevated sustained yield. In 4 areas of interior Alaska where moose density recently changed, we evaluated the magnitude of change among 4 browse indices: proportional offtake of current annual growth biomass (OFTK), proportion of current twigs that were browsed (PTB), mean twig diameter at point of browsing (DPB), and proportion of plants with broomed architecture. In 1 area where moose density increased 100% in 6 years following effective predation control, browse removal increased 138% for OFTK, 20% for PTB, and 16–42% for DPB of primary browse species, with a 44% increase in brooming. We also studied 3 areas where moose density declined 31–41% following elevated antlerless harvests of 2–4 years duration. In these areas (with intervals of 3–12 years between browse surveys) we found declines of 30–40% in OFTK, 26–68% in PTB, and 11–37% in DPB, but changes in plant architecture were inconsistent. The proportion of parturient cows with neonate twins did not change between browse surveys, presumably because of a substantial lag time influenced by life history of the dominant reproductive cohorts and little change in browse nutrient content and digestibility. Of the 4 browse indices studied, proportional OFTK most consistently reflected the direction and magnitude of short-term changes in moose density. Area-specific measures of habitat and animal conditions at high moose density provided an objective means for gauging the capacity of the respective ecosystems to support moose and maintain forage plants. We used these measures of winter forage and moose condition to justify implementing harvest strategies and to ultimately reduce high moose densities below levels of strong negative feedback

Behavioral modifications by a large-northern herbivore to mitigate warming conditions

Background Temperatures in arctic-boreal regions are increasing rapidly and pose significant challenges to moose (Alces alces), a heat-sensitive large-bodied mammal. Moose act as ecosystem engineers, by regulating forest carbon and structure, below ground nitrogen cycling processes, and predator-prey dynamics. Previous studies showed that during hotter periods, moose displayed stronger selection for wetland habitats, taller and denser forest canopies, and minimized exposure to solar radiation. However, previous studies regarding moose behavioral thermoregulation occurred in Europe or southern moose range in North America. Understanding whether ambient temperature elicits a behavioral response in high-northern latitude moose populations in North America may be increasingly important as these arctic-boreal systems have been warming at a rate two to three times the global mean. Methods We assessed how Alaska moose habitat selection changed as a function of ambient temperature using a step-selection function approach to identify habitat features important for behavioral thermoregulation in summer (June–August). We used Global Positioning System telemetry locations from four populations of Alaska moose (n = 169) from 2008 to 2016. We assessed model fit using the quasi-likelihood under independence criterion and conduction a leave-one-out cross validation. Results Both male and female moose in all populations increasingly, and nonlinearly, selected for denser canopy cover as ambient temperature increased during summer, where initial increases in the conditional probability of selection were initially sharper then leveled out as canopy density increased above ~ 50%. However, the magnitude of selection response varied by population and sex. In two of the three populations containing both sexes, females demonstrated a stronger selection response for denser canopy at higher temperatures than males. We also observed a stronger selection response in the most southerly and northerly populations compared to populations in the west and central Alaska. Conclusions The impacts of climate change in arctic-boreal regions increase landscape heterogeneity through processes such as increased wildfire intensity and annual area burned, which may significantly alter the thermal environment available to an animal. Understanding habitat selection related to behavioral thermoregulation is a first step toward identifying areas capable of providing thermal relief for moose and other species impacted by climate change in arctic-boreal regions

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

INTENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF MOOSE AT HIGH DENSITY: IMPEDIMENTS, ACHIEVEMENTS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In 1994, the Alaska Legislature passed legislation directing the Board of Game to identify big game prey populations where “intensive management” (IM) would be used to attain and sustain high levels of harvest. The IM law specifically provides for active management of predators and habitat, but fails to mention that antlerless hunts are key to achieving high levels of harvest. We discuss IM for moose in Game Management Unit (GMU) 20A through 2005, because GMU 20A has a unique history of predator management and currently supports the highest moose density for any equivalent-sized area in Alaska. Moose numbers in GMU 20A exceeded the IM population objectives beginning in 1999, but the IM harvest objectives were not met during 2002-2005. We identified the following impediments to achieving IM harvest objectives in GMU 20A: (1) negative public attitude toward antlerless moose hunts; (2) local citizen advisory committees have veto power over antlerless hunts; (3) bull:cow ratios are difficult to maintain when harvests are restricted largely to bulls; (4) access issues, including spatial and temporal distribution of the harvest; (5) social issues including local-non-local hunter  conflicts, hunter-landownder conflicts, and illegal harvest; and (6) insufficient funding for research programs, management activities, and public education. Despite these impediments, liberal antlerless harvests were sufficient in 2004 and 2005 to halt moose population growth and attain high levels of harvest; annual harvests reached the highest levels recorded for GMU 20A. To facilitate the management of high-density moose for high levels of harvest, we recommend: (1) elimination of advisory committee veto power over antlerless hunts; (2) greater flexibility by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to implement and manage antlerless hunts; (3) close monitoring of hunting-related social issues; (4) ADF&G authorization to initiate prescribed burns; and (5) increased funding for management activities, research programs, and public education

Applications of resilience theory in management of a moose-hunter system in Alaska

We investigated wildfire-related effects on a slow ecological variable, i.e., forage production, and fast social-ecological variables, i.e., seasonal harvest rates, hunter access, and forage offtake, in a moose-hunter system in interior Alaska. In a 1994 burn, average forage production increased slightly (5%) between 2007 and 2013; however, the proportional removal across all sites declined significantly (10%). This suggests that moose are not utilizing the burn as much as they have in the past and that, as the burn has aged, the apparent habitat quality has declined. Areas with a greater proportion of accessible burned area supported both high numbers of hunters and harvested moose. Our results suggest that evaluating ecological variables in conjunction with social variables can provide managers with information to forecast management scenarios. We recommend that wildlife managers monitor fast variables frequently, e.g., annually, to adapt and keep their management responsive as resources fluctuate; whereas slower variables, which require less frequent monitoring, should be actively incorporated into long-term management strategies. Climate-driven increases in wildfire extent and severity and economically driven demographic changes are likely to increase both moose density and hunting pressure. However, the future resilience of this moose-hunter system will depend on integrated management of wildfire, hunter access, and harvest opportunities