Woodland caribou are listed as a threatened species in Saskatchewan. The need for contemporary data is paramount for conservation of this species. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of threats to woodland caribou: forestry and logging, road development and expansion, mineral exploration and other long term changes to the landscape. Despite previous research effort, the current distribution and critical habitat of woodland caribou in north-central Saskatchewan is still poorly understood. Drawing upon the knowledge of a selected target group, interviews have been conducted to attain local and traditional knowledge on woodland caribou. Local knowledge has been used to identify key information about woodland caribou critical habitat and ecology in the north central region and more remote areas. Through the objectives of this research we have been able to identify current and historical abundance patterns; adult and calf biology; predator prey interactions; human activity on the landscape and potential effect on woodland caribou ecology; and weather/fire patterns and the potential effect on woodland caribou distribution. The significance of this type of research is critical in understanding woodland caribou biology in northern and remote areas. In addition, this project recognizes contributions and involvement of Aboriginal peoples in academic and government research initiatives.

Woodland caribou are listed as a threatened species in Saskatchewan. The need for contemporary data is paramount for conservation of this species. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of threats to woodland caribou: forestry and logging, road development and expansion, mineral exploration and other long term changes to the landscape. Despite previous research effort, the current distribution and critical habitat of woodland caribou in north-central Saskatchewan is still poorly understood. Drawing upon the knowledge of a selected target group, interviews have been conducted to attain local and traditional knowledge on woodland caribou. Local knowledge has been used to identify key information about woodland caribou critical habitat and ecology in the north central region and more remote areas. Through the objectives of this research we have been able to identify current and historical abundance patterns; adult and calf biology; predator prey interactions; human activity on the landscape and potential effect on woodland caribou ecology; and weather/fire patterns and the potential effect on woodland caribou distribution. The significance of this type of research is critical in understanding woodland caribou biology in northern and remote areas. In addition, this project recognizes contributions and involvement of Aboriginal peoples in academic and government research initiatives.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Simon Fraser University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-157).

Thesis (M.A.)--Simon Fraser University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 140-157).

Thèse (M.Sc.Géogr.)--Université Laval, 2004. / Bibliogr.: f. 72-79. Publié aussi en version électronique.

Nous avons utilisé la télédétection pour examiner comment l’abondance du caribou migrateur pouvait influencer la quantité de ressources alimentaires, et comment ces changements pouvaient affecter la dynamique de population et les patrons d’utilisation de l’espace des caribous. Nous avons évalué les relations entre le caribou et ses ressources alimentaires pour l’aire de mise bas et l’aire d’estivage du troupeau Rivière-George (TRG) du nord du Québec et du Labrador (Canada) entre 1991 et 2011. Nous avons modélisé les relations entre la productivité primaire et des variables climatiques, nous permettant d’isoler les effets d’autres facteurs, comme la pression de broutement des caribous. Nous avons trouvé une relation négative entre la densité de caribous et la productivité primaire à grande échelle, suggérant que la pression de broutement par les caribous pouvait réduire l’abondance des ressources alimentaires et contribuer à la dégradation de l’habitat. Une forte tendance au réchauffement durant la période d’étude, couplée avec un déclin de la taille de population du TRG, a cependant entrainé une productivité primaire plus élevée. Cette hausse de la productivité primaire pourrait représenter un rétablissement de la végétation suite à la réduction de la pression de broutement et/ou un effet du réchauffement climatique. / This thesis used remote sensing to examine how changes in caribou abundance can impact forage availability, and how these changes might in turn affect the population dynamics and space use patterns of migratory caribou. We investigated these relationships for the Rivière-George caribou herd (RGH) and its calving grounds and summer range in Northern Quebec and Labrador (Canada) from 1991-2011. We modelled the relationships between primary productivity and various climatic variables, allowing us to isolate the effects of non-climatic factors, such as caribou herbivory, on primary productivity. We found a negative relationship between caribou density and primary productivity at the range-scale, suggesting that caribou herbivory can reduce forage abundance and contribute to habitat degradation. However, a strong warming trend over the study period, coupled with a decline in RGH population size, meant that we observed a trend towards higher primary productivity. This greening trend may represent vegetation recovery following the reduction in caribou herbivory and/or an effect of climate warming.

Dans le Nord-du-Québec et au Labrador, les troupeaux de caribous migrateurs Rivière-George et Rivière-aux-Feuilles sont en déclin, respectivement depuis les années 1990 et 2000. Plus particulièrement, le déclin marqué du troupeau Rivière-aux-Feuilles qui a coïncidé avec la croissance de la population de bœuf musqué, une espèce introduite dans le Nord-du-Québec, a mené les communautés inuites à s'interroger sur le potentiel de compétition entre les deux espèces. En réponse à ce questionnement, nous avons combiné trois approches pour évaluer le potentiel de compétition interspécifique : (1) quantifier le chevauchement spatial, (2) comparer les patrons de sélection d'habitats des deux espèces dans leur aire de répartition commune et (3) évaluer le chevauchement des régimes alimentaires. Pour ce faire, nous avons utilisé des données provenant de suivis télémétriques et récolté des échantillons de fèces pour les analyser avec la méthode du codage à barre d'ADN. À l'échelle annuelle, le chevauchement spatial était faible et avait lieu principalement au printemps sur la côte de la baie d'Hudson et à l'été sur la côte de la baie d'Ungava. Dans leur aire de répartition commune, le bœuf musqué sélectionne les milieux arbustifs et productifs situés près des côtes alors que le caribou sélectionne des milieux de toundra avec substrat rocheux et des habitats de faible altitude. À une échelle spatiale plus fine, cela fait en sorte que les probabilités de co-occurrence sont faibles. Toutefois, notre analyse du régime alimentaire a montré des similarités, puisque les familles de plantes détectées les plus fréquemment (Ericacea, Salicaceæ, Betulaceae) étaient les mêmes pour les deux espèces à l'été et à l'hiver. Dans leur ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que le potentiel de compétition est faible entre le caribou migrateur et le bœuf musqué dans le Nord-du-Québec. Cependant, plusieurs facteurs dont l'expansion possible de l'aire de répartition du bœuf musqué et les interactions avec les prédateurs, dans un contexte de changement climatique, pourraient éventuellement influencer les interactions entre ces deux espèces d'ongulés. / In northern Quebec and Labrador, the Rivière-George and Rivière-aux-Feuilles caribou herds have been declining since the 1990s and 2000s, respectively. In particular, marked decline of the Rivière-aux-Feuilles caribou herd coinciding with the demographic growth of muskoxen, an introduced species in northern Quebec, has led local Inuit communities to question the potential for interspecific competition. In response to these concerns we used three methods to evaluate the potential for interspecific competition at different scales: (1) we quantified spatial overlap, (2) we compared both species habitat selection patterns in their overlapping range and (3) we evaluated diet overlap. We used telemetric data and collected fecal samples of both species for DNA barcoding analysis. At the annual scale, spatial overlap was low and limited in time, mostly in spring on the coast of Hudson Bay and in summer on the coast of Ungava Bay. Within their overlapping range, migratory caribou and muskoxen had mostly different habitat selection patterns, particularly in regard to habitat types and proximity to the coast. At a finer spatial scale, this led to low probability of co-occurrence across both coastal areas. Our dietary analysis of fecal samples suggested that both species had a similar diet based on the frequency of the most detected plant families (Ericaceae, Salicaceae et Betulaceae) in summer and winter. Combined, our results suggest that the potential for competition between migratory caribou and muskoxen is low in our study area. However, several factors such as the possible expansion of the muskoxen range and interactions with predators, in the context of climate change, could potentially influence the interactions between these two ungulate species

Recently documented ice patch sites in the southwest Yukon are ideal for evaluating precontact hunter-gatherer land-use patterns in the western subarctic. Located in the alpine of the mountainous regions of the boreal forest, ice patches are associated with well preserved hunting equipment, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) dung and an abundance of faunal remains dating to over 8000 years ago. However, current models are inadequate for explaining caribou hunting at ice patches as they tend to emphasize large-scale communal hunts associated with latitudinal movements of caribou. Much less is known about the alititudinal movment of caribou and the associated hunting forays to ice patches in the alpine. Based on literature from caribou biology an altitudinal hunting model is proposed. During summer months caribou are predictable in their use of ice patches for relief from insect harassment. Pollen dated from caribou dung frozen in organic layers from the Granger (JdUt-1) and Friday Creek (JcUu-1) ice patches was analysed and compared to pollen assemblages from modern caribou dung to test whether ancient caribou were using these locations during summer months. The multivariate statistical technique, Nonmetric Mutlidimensional Scaling shows that ancient pollen assemblages are unlike any modern dung. Results indicate that pollen derived from dung is complex and various temporal transformations and taphonomic factors such as: (i) the use of modern analogue samples; (ii) changes in phenology; (iii) mode of pollination and; (iv) caribou feeding strategies must be understood before making interpretations on seasonality from dung pollen. I propose that a qualitative model of seasonal pollen signatures also be used to evaluate ancient pollen spectra, especially when there is no modern analogue. Regardless of these factors, the identification of a diversity of forbs and the presence of insect-pollinated taxa such as Polemonium and Epilobium suggest that some of the dung was deposited by caribou in the summer. Ancient hunters, knowing that caribou aggregate in mixed herds on ice patches in summer months, took advantage of this behaviour. Hunting equipment found on ice patches indicates that atlatls (8360± 60 to 1250± 40 yrs BP) and bow and arrows (1300 ± 70 to 90 ± 40 yrs BP) and hunting blinds were part of the ice hunting strategy. Faunal analysis suggests caribou was the primary game animal hunted at ice patches, although sheep (Ovis dalli) may have been important at some locations. Developing an altitudinal migration model provides a fuller picture of caribou hunting at alpine locations in the southwest Yukon and assists in understanding Holocene precontact hunting and land-use patterns in the western subarctic.

Mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are endangered in British Columbia and motorized backcountry recreation has been identified as a potential threat to their persistence. My objective was to test if fecal glucocorticoids (GCs), indicative of physiological effects of ecological stress in wildlife, could be used as a non-invasive tool to quantify stress response in free-ranging caribou exposed to motorized recreation. I validated an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure concentration of fecal GCs for R. tarandus using an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge experiment on captive reindeer exposed to extreme variation in winter weather. Female reindeer expressed elevated fecal GCs 9-11 hrs after ACTH injection. Males showed no detectable increase, perhaps due to underdosing. Fecal GCs varied markedly in both sexes in response to natural variation in weather. Overall, my results indicated fecal assays can be used to track biologically meaningful changes in adrenal activity in R.tarandus. I investigated the effects of motorized recreation on stress hormone production by measuring GCs in feces of mountain caribou exposed to snowmobile and heli-ski activity. Concentrations of fecal GCs in snowmobile and heli-ski areas were higher than those measured from caribou in areas where motorized recreation was not allowed. Caribou sampled up to 4km. 8km and I0 km distant from snowmobile activity showed elevated fecal GCs when compared to those sampled further from snowmobile activity areas. Other variables with a significant effect on fecal GCs included reproductive state, snow, aspect. minimum ambient temperature, and daily temperature range. My study indicates that measurement of fecal GCs provides a useful, noninvasive approach in the evaluation of physiological effects of environment, reproductive state, and human-induced stressors on free-ranging mountain caribou. Although research on many species indicates that chronically elevated GCs carry a variety of physiological costs, more study is needed to know whether GCs can be used as an index of human impact on population health or trend.