Delineating relevant local populations of widely distributed species is a common challenge in conservation ecology. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are in general decline throughout their global range, despite ongoing conservation efforts. In Canada, recovery actions for the threatened boreal population of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are stratified by ‘local population units’ (LPUs) on ranges distributed across 2.4 × 10 km2 of the species’ geographic range. To estimate local population dynamics, LPUs are assumed to be geographically closed, though supporting evidence varies widely. We assembled an exceptionally large database of GPS telemetry locations (891,306 telemetry days, 1998–2020) from 1,586 adult female caribou across the 19 northwesternmost LPUs. We generated a many-to-many Gaussian Bayesian Network to identify candidate local populations at range-level extents, as well as subpopulations, termed ‘communities’ in network analysis. We detected local population boundaries that in some cases were consistent with accepted LPUs and consistent with the assumption of geographic closure. In other cases, local population boundaries did not map well to currently delineated LPUs. Several communities at smaller spatial extents were consistent with expert and local knowledge of caribou movements and support recovery planning and actions “stepped down” from entire ranges. Evidence consistent with population fragmentation was confirmed along the southern and southwestern boundaries of the species’ geographic range within the study area, as were more continuous distributions confirmed to the north. We suggest that network analysis can help to inform conservation planning for boreal caribou and other wide-ranging species that would benefit from data-driven characterizations of multiscale population spatial structure.
Related Resources
Comparison of Woodland Caribou Calving Areas Determined by Movement Patterns Across Northern Ontario
An Assessment of Sampling Designs Using SCR Analyses to Estimate Abundance of Boreal Caribou
Resource Date:
September
2020
Large Stocks of Peatland Carbon and Nitrogen are Vulnerable to Permafrost Thaw
Resource Date:
August
2020
Organization
Wetlands in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region: The Nexus between Wetland Hydrological Function and Resource Extraction
Resource Date:
February
2020
Organization
Webinar - Beaver Wetlands
Resource Date:
2020
Was this helpful?
|