predators
Content related to: predators
Caribou Comeback: Recovering an Iconic Species at Risk in Jasper National Park
Managing Wolves (Canis Lupus) to Recover Threatened Woodland Caribou (Rangifer Tarandus Caribou) in Alberta
Demographic Responses of Nearly Extirpated Endangered Mountain Caribou to Recovery Actions in Central British Columbia
Manipulations of Black Bear and Coyote Affect Caribou Calf Survival
Linking Habitat, Predators and Alternative Prey to Explain Recruitment Variations of an Endangered Caribou Population
A Primary Productivity Hypothesis for Disturbance-mediated Apparent Competition for Boreal Caribou in Canada
Boreal Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in British Columbia: 2017 Science Review
Webinar - Recovery Actions for Woodland Caribou: Predicting and Testing the Efficacy of Habitat Restoration
Influence of Forest Harvesting on Predator-prey Dynamics Among Mountain Caribou, Sympatric Ungulates, and Predators
Project Description:
Southern mountain caribou in British Columbia have experienced rapid population decline due to human-mediated changes to forest communities and a resulting increase in predation. The majority of past research has focused on broad-scale relationships between habitat composition and the distribution of caribou. We sought to identify the mechanistic drivers of predation risk as they relate to a range of forest-management strategies. We investigated the effect of three forest-harvest prescriptions on the co-occurrence of caribou, sympatric ungulates, and predators: unharvested old-growth, clearcut harvesting, and group-selection harvesting. Group-selection is the legally mandated harvesting system for specific southern mountain caribou habitat because it restricts stand removal to 33% by area. That partial cutting strategy maintains old-forest structure and arboreal lichen. However, this system may create an environment that is more attractive to sympatric ungulates during snow-free periods. We deployed and lured 57 wildlife cameras to investigate how human-mediated plant community dynamics influenced the distribution of caribou, moose, mule deer, and predators.
Project Outcomes or Intended Outcomes:
Our preliminary results identify distinct differences in habitat use among the target species. Caribou avoided all areas where forest harvesting had occurred. Moose used the group-selection treatment most frequently. Mule deer favored clearcuts in spring while moose used that treatment in summer. Grizzly and black bears used stands harvested by group-selection more often than clearcut. Our findings suggest that forest management implemented to provide forage for mountain caribou may increase predation risk, potentially leading to further population decline.