Texte remanié de: Doctoral thesis--Tübingen--University, 1998. / Bibliogr. p. 123-142.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if Sweden should reintroduce wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus Lönn) to the Swedish fauna and what conditions there were for a reintroduction to Vildmarksriket between Mora, Leksand and Vansbro. The purpose was also to investigate the impact of the reintroducement of the stakeholders in the area, such as forest owners, farmers, authorities, organizations and local residents. The methods used were a quantitative attitude survey which consisted of questionnaires and qualitative interviews. The interviews were strategically selected and semi-structured. The conclusion of this study was that stakeholders in the area Vildmarksriket have different opinions about the wild forest reindeer. The issue that concern stakeholders the most and that can create anxiety and conflict in Vildmarksriket is whether the wolves and the bears will be affected by wild forest reindeer and how forestry can be affected. Generally there is a positive attitude towards wild forest reindeer, but there is also a strong uncertainty. Wild forest reindeer can affect species and ecosystems in the region, but the effect seems to be small regardless of whether they are negative or positive. Vildmarksriket still has the potential to be a suitable area for wild forest reindeer to be reintroduced. According to the legislation that exists today, Sweden has no direct juridical obligation to reintroduce wild forest reindeer.

The caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada for the years 1998-2000 and 2004, 2005, were investigated using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of carbon (d 13C) and nitrogen (d 15N). Spring signatures of rumen contents and muscle samples were correlated with standard biological measures of back fat and Riney kidney fat index. Caribou d 13C and d 15N ratios, together with detailed rumen content analysis, show that SIA data yields a time-integrated signal reflective of spatial and temporal variation in feeding ecology and as such is capable of detecting trophic interactions. Rumen content signatures provide current indication of forage selection, while muscle tissue signatures reflect bulk summer seasonal diet and in combination with rumen signatures, can help identify potential shifts in winter diet and the potential for short-term changes in caribou condition. <br /><br /> d 13C and d 15N signatures for major forage species categories were also compared to variations in rumen content and muscle signatures to investigate possible changes in forage preference. The results indicate that SIA is capable of assessing the importance of seasonal habitat use with regard to seasonal food intake. Stable isotopes analysis (SIA) was also used to investigate the effects of winter snow thickness and temperature on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), on Southampton Island. Variations found in isotope signatures of rumen content and muscle indicated that differences in winter climate conditions may affect forage selection, and impact on animal condition.

The caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada for the years 1998-2000 and 2004, 2005, were investigated using stable isotope analysis (SIA) of carbon (d 13C) and nitrogen (d 15N). Spring signatures of rumen contents and muscle samples were correlated with standard biological measures of back fat and Riney kidney fat index. Caribou d 13C and d 15N ratios, together with detailed rumen content analysis, show that SIA data yields a time-integrated signal reflective of spatial and temporal variation in feeding ecology and as such is capable of detecting trophic interactions. Rumen content signatures provide current indication of forage selection, while muscle tissue signatures reflect bulk summer seasonal diet and in combination with rumen signatures, can help identify potential shifts in winter diet and the potential for short-term changes in caribou condition. <br /><br /> d 13C and d 15N signatures for major forage species categories were also compared to variations in rumen content and muscle signatures to investigate possible changes in forage preference. The results indicate that SIA is capable of assessing the importance of seasonal habitat use with regard to seasonal food intake. Stable isotopes analysis (SIA) was also used to investigate the effects of winter snow thickness and temperature on caribou (Rangifer tarandus), on Southampton Island. Variations found in isotope signatures of rumen content and muscle indicated that differences in winter climate conditions may affect forage selection, and impact on animal condition.

Foraging decisions of large herbivores can be affected by many factors and have great effect on both above- and below-ground ecosystems. Here, I determine to which degree temporal (seasonality), or spatial (habitat) factors influence the foraging behaviour of Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and asses if small-scale foraging behaviour correlates with an animals’ patch residence time. I analysed behavioural observations on 15 Svalbard reindeer between summer and autumn 2022, recording both behaviour and habitat use. Using mixed-effects multinomial logistic regression, the interaction between seasonal change from summer to autumn and habitat best explained the variation in Svalbard reindeer foraging behaviour. The foraging behaviour “standing-grazing” was found to have the highest observed amount in all habitat types and increased over the growing season. Contrastingly, the foraging behaviour of “walking-grazing” had its highest abundance in the beginning of the study period, and then decreased over the course of the season for all analysed habitats. In addition, “walking-grazing” was found to be significantly correlated with patch residency time and decreased the longer an individual stayed in a patch. With presumable high plant quality early in the season, my results imply how Svalbard reindeer are greatly stationary foragers, but prioritizing to become relatively mobile when it is beneficial. Thus, highlighting how Svalbard reindeer respond dynamically to shifts in foraging conditions. These findings provide knowledge about what factors may impact the foraging behaviours of Arctic herbivores and helps contribute to a broader understanding of how changes in foraging behaviours may alter arctic ecosystems.

Les régions subarctiques font face aux effets interconnectés et pluri-scalaires du changement global (amplification des extrêmes bioclimatiques et intensification dans l’utilisation des sols). Le renne, Rangifer tarandus est un grand herbivore qui migre annuellement sur de grands espaces pour ses besoins biologiques. L’ongulé cristallise de nombreux enjeux paysagers pour les pastoralismes saamis. Plusieurs populations de rennes seront étudiées dans un suivi multi-scalaire. Nous évaluons les effets directs du changement global (fragmentation paysagère et changements climatiques) sur les paysages culturels de Scandinavie en lien avec la démographie des rennes. Par la suite, la descente en échelle géographique nous permet de caractériser via satellite et relevés floristiques les effets du changement global sur les paysages végétaux de la communauté montagnarde d’éleveurs Gabna, dans le nord de la Suède. Nous étudions ensuite les comportements migratoires des rennes sauvages norvégiens, pour appréhender les liens entre variabilité bioclimatique et écologie spatiale de l’herbivore. Les résultats principaux rejoignent ceux de la littérature scientifique, appliqués aux espaces étudiés : régionalement, changement des climats et pertes significatives en pâturages ; localement, boréalisation et embroussaillement des paysages migratoires. Les liens forts entre une partie des effets cumulés du changement global et la biogéographie scandinave de Rangifer tarandus sont ainsi discutés. L’approche paysagère dans les problématiques environnementales complexes (revendication territoriale) a révélé l’importance de l’éthique dans le dialogue science/minorités. / Les régions subarctiques font face aux effets interconnectés et pluri-scalaires du changement global (amplification des extrêmes bioclimatiques et intensification dans l’utilisation des sols). Le renne, Rangifer tarandus est un grand herbivore qui migre annuellement sur de grands espaces pour ses besoins biologiques. L’ongulé cristallise de nombreux enjeux paysagers pour les pastoralismes saamis. Plusieurs populations de rennes seront étudiées dans un suivi multi-scalaire. Nous évaluons les effets directs du changement global (fragmentation paysagère et changements climatiques) sur les paysages culturels de Scandinavie en lien avec la démographie des rennes. Par la suite, la descente en échelle géographique nous permet de caractériser via satellite et relevés floristiques les effets du changement global sur les paysages végétaux de la communauté montagnarde d’éleveurs Gabna, dans le nord de la Suède. Nous étudions ensuite les comportements migratoires des rennes sauvages norvégiens, pour appréhender les liens entre variabilité bioclimatique et écologie spatiale de l’herbivore. Les résultats principaux rejoignent ceux de la littérature scientifique, appliqués aux espaces étudiés : régionalement, changement des climats et pertes significatives en pâturages ; localement, boréalisation et embroussaillement des paysages migratoires. Les liens forts entre une partie des effets cumulés du changement global et la biogéographie scandinave de Rangifer tarandus sont ainsi discutés. L’approche paysagère dans les problématiques environnementales complexes (revendication territoriale) a révélé l’importance de l’éthique dans le dialogue science/minorités.

The Arctic areas are warming more rapidly than other parts of the world. Increasing temperatures are predicted to result in shrubification, higher productivity, declining species diversity and new species invasions to the tundra. Changes in species diversity and plant community composition are likely to alter ecosystem functions with potential consequences for human population also at lower latitudes. Thus, in order to better predict the effects of the rapid arctic warming, we need knowledge on how plant communities respond to a warmer climate. Here, I investigate the effects of climate warming on tundra plant communities and focus on the role of mammalian herbivores in mediating these responses. I examined the role of herbivores by incorporating herbivore manipulations to short- and long-term warming experiments as well as along altitudinal gradients. I measured how individual plants and plant communities respond to warming with and without herbivores. Results of my PhD Thesis illustrate several ways how herbivores modify the responses of plants to warming. I found that herbivores (reindeer, hare, voles, lemmings) may prevent lowland forbs from invading open tundra.  Herbivores might also protect small tundra forbs from being outcompeted by taller and denser vegetation under climate warming. Thus, different herbivore pressures may lead to differing plant abundances and distribution shifts in different areas. Furthermore, my results show that high herbivore pressure can reverse the effects of long-term climate warming very rapidly, even in one year. This finding suggests that well-planned targeted reindeer grazing episodes could potentially be used as a conservation tool to keep selected tundra habitats open. Sudden cessation of grazing may initiate rapid changes in plant community, especially if it coincides with warm temperatures. Taken together, I show that herbivores counteract the effects of climate warming by slowing down or preventing vegetation changes in tundra. Therefore, it is important to consider mammalian herbivores when predicting tundra plant community responses to changing climate.

Global and local climate patterns may affect barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) populations. I predicted global climate changes to be correlated with periods of population decline, and local changes to be more pronounced on the habitat of caribou with a declining population. In chapter 1, the Arctic Oscillation (AO), changes in normalized difference vegetation index and phenology were used as measures of global and local climate. In chapter 2 environmental variables and caribou presence points were used to build Maxent habitat models. There was no consistent correlation with the positive AO phase and periods of population decline, or phenology trends and the habitat of caribou with a declining population. Maxent models underestimated the amount of suitable habitat spatially and failed to model suitable habitat temporally. This thesis is the first to look at a range of density-independent variables over a long time period and model suitable habitat for multiple herds.

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.