With increasing demands on and development of northern mineral resources, a basic understanding of the wildlife productivity is required for the careful management of any species. Barren-ground caribou, Rangifer tarandus (Richarson) , has been an integral part of these northern regions and the culture of the natives for centuries. With the use of simulation modeling much of the diverse data concerning caribou was integrated and evaluated into two model structures. Model BIOEN examined the winter bioenergetics of caribou while model ACTIVE examined the role of biting insects in the summer energetics of caribou. During the construction of these models much data collected on ungulates other than caribou were incorporated when comparative data for caribou were available. Model BIOEN proposes a critical environment for a 100 Kg male caribou under two nutritional regimes. Simulated effects of snow cover on energy balance appear important and deserve more research attention. Two areas, one in the tundra and one in the boreal region, were examined in terms of wintering potential for caribou. In the years simulated, the boreal region proved more favourable in terms of weight loss to the animal. However, it was revealed through sensitivity analyses that small errors in the measurement of digestibility, gross energy content of the forage, food intake rate or grazing intensity have a significant effect on weight projections during the winter. Model ACTIVE incorporated data from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to examine the role of insects in the summer energy budgets of caribou. Results indicated that insects caused a significant increase in heat production (51.8 Kcal/Kg /day). A predictive regression equation is presented relating total heat production (kcal/Kg/day) to the number of hours of moderate and no insect harassment per day for an adult male or non-lactating female. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Thèse (Ph. D.)--Université Laval, 2007. / Bibliogr.: f. [160]-172. Publié aussi en version électronique dans la Collection Mémoires et thèses électroniques.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1961. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-79).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alberta, 2002. / Title from p.1 of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-92).

Thesis (M.E.Des.)--University of Calgary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alberta, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-56).

Thesis (M. Env. Des.)--University of Calgary, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Dec. 17, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

The sociogenetic structure of woodland caribou was explored using non-invasive fecal sampling. Fecal pellet sampling occurred in South Jasper during the fall of (2006 to 2012) and in North Interlake during the winter (2004 to 2010). Samples were amplified at 10 microsatellite loci and unique individuals identified. We used fecal pellet morphometrics and measured fecal reproductive hormone levels to distinguish calf from adult age-classes of woodland caribou. In addition, we conducted pedigree analysis of South Jasper caribou using the COLONY 2.0 program. Results demonstrated that pellet morphology, pregnane, and testosterone were able to differentiate age-class. Additionally, South Jasper caribou herds exhibited a polygynous mating system whereby few males dominated the reproductive output (only 20%) and female reproductive output was evenly distributed (39%). This study demonstrates the ability of non-invasive fecal methods to answer important questions pertaining to the age-class, mating system and fitness of woodland caribou.

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