IN VITRO ISOLATION AND CULTIVATION OF A BABESIA FROM AN AMERICAN WOODLAND CARIBOU (RANGIFER TARANDUS CARIBOU)

Fifty-eight percent of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) of the George River herd, Labrador, were infected with up to 110 giant American liver flukes (Fascioloides magna). The prevalence and intensity of infection did not differ between 2 sampling years or between sexes. Prevalence tended to increase with age while intensity did not differ among age groups. Liver weight increased with intensity of infection but condition, as measured by the mean depth of back fat, did not differ between infected and uninfected animals. Caribou must be considered a suitable host of F. magna since the growth and maturation of the parasite and lesions produced in Rangifer resemble those in deer and wapiti.

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Seasonal movement patterns of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1017/s0952836903004552 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 262 (2) ◽

pp. 125-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

S. H. Ferguson ◽

P. C. Elkie

Keyword(s):

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Seasonal Movement

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Managing wolves (Canis lupus) to recover threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Alberta

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2014-0142 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (12) ◽

pp. 1029-1037 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Dave Hervieux ◽

Mark Hebblewhite ◽

Dave Stepnisky ◽

Michelle Bacon ◽

Stan Boutin

Keyword(s):

Canis Lupus ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Apparent Competition ◽

Provincial Government ◽

Population Increase ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Wolf Population ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Population Reduction ◽

Reduction Program

Across Canada, woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) populations are declining because of human-induced changes to food webs that are resulting in apparent competition-induced increases in predator-caused caribou mortality. We tested the hypothesis that wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) population reduction could reverse declines in a woodland caribou population following a BACI (before-after-control-impact) design conducted over a 12-year period in west-central Alberta, Canada. We monitored annual survival for 172 adult female caribou and calf recruitment from 2000 through 2012 and conducted a provincial government delivered wolf population reduction program annually during the winters of 2005–2006 to 2012 (inclusive) in an area centered on the Little Smoky range. Wolf removal translated to a 4.6% increase in mean population growth rate of the Little Smoky population mostly through improvements in calf recruitment. In contrast, the Red Rock Prairie Creek control population exhibited a 4.7% decline. Although the wolf population reduction program appeared to stabilize the Little Smoky population, it did not lead to population increase, however, with λ remaining approximately equal to 1. Therefore, we recommend, if required, predation management be combined with effective habitat conservation and long-term planning to effect the recovery of species, such as woodland caribou, which are declining as a result of habitat-mediated apparent competition.

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Seasonal distribution and population parameters of woodland caribou in central Manitoba: implications for forestry practices

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.20.5.1633 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 85 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kimberley G. Brown ◽

Campbell Elliott ◽

Francois Messier

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Seasonal Distribution ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Population Parameters ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Forestry Practices ◽

Resource Exploration

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in the boreal forest are believed threatened by human encroachment and associated disturbances such as resource exploration and extraction. We radiocollared and monitored fifteen female woodland caribou in central Manitoba, from 1995 to 1997, to obtain information on their population range, seasonal distribution and movements in relation to forestry concerns. The population ranged over 4600 km2 within a large peatland system and concentrated their activities in two areas for both the summer and winter seasons. Females were relatively more solitary during the summer and exhibited fidelity to specific calving and summering areas averaging 83.4 km2. Individual wintering locations varied between years and among individuals. Post-rut and pre-calving mixed-sex aggregations occurred on the southern portion of the herds range. Caribou from the northern part of the range utilized a traditional travel corridor moving as far as 65 km to access the aggregation areas and their summer or winter ranges. Adult survival during the study period averaged 0.90 (95% CI, 0.80-1.00). Survival of the 1995 cohort appeared to be high as indicated by the 0.65:1 calf-cow ratio, and 30 ± 7% calf composition of observed caribou in the autumn of 1995. The annual rate of change (A,) of 1.19 (95% CI, 1.02-1.36) from January to November of 1995 indicated rhat the population was increasing at that time.

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Population dynamics of the endangered mountain ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in British Columbia, Canada

10.26686/wgtn.12971858.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Heiko Wittmer ◽

BN McLellan ◽

DR Seip ◽

JA Young ◽

TA Kinley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Population Dynamics ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Population Decline ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Vital Rates ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Annual Survival

We used census results and radiotelemetry locations of >380 collared individuals sampled over the entire distribution of the endangered mountain ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) in British Columbia, Canada, to delineate population structure and document the size and trend of the identified populations. We also describe the spatial pattern of decline and the causes and timing of adult mortality and provide estimates of vital rates necessary to develop a population viability analysis. Our results indicate that the abundance of mountain caribou in British Columbia is declining. We found adult female annual survival rates below annual survival rates commonly reported for large ungulates. The major proximate cause of population decline appears to be predation on adult caribou. Spatial patterns of population dynamics revealed a continuous range contraction and an increasing fragmentation of mountain caribou into smaller, isolated subpopulations. The population fragmentation process predominantly occurs at the outer boundaries of the current distribution. Our results indicate that recovery strategies for mountain caribou should be directed at factors contributing to the fragmentation and isolation of mountain caribou populations as well as management strategies aimed at increasing adult survival. © 2005 NRC Canada.

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Comparison of pre-fire and post-fire space use reveals varied responses by woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in the Boreal Shield

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2020-0139 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (11) ◽

pp. 751-760

Author(s):

J.A. Silva ◽

S.E. Nielsen ◽

P.D. McLoughlin ◽

A.R. Rodgers ◽

C. Hague ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Fires ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Space Use ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Boreal Shield ◽

Calving Season

By regulating successional dynamics in Canada’s boreal forest, fires can affect the distribution of the Threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)). Caribou tend to avoid areas burned within the last 40 years; however, few studies have compared pre-fire and post-fire caribou observations. In this study, we used caribou GPS locations from the Boreal Shield of Saskatchewan, Canada, to assess the short-term response of caribou to areas that burned while they were collared (hereafter recent burns). We used a “before–after, control–impact” design to compare the overlap of pre-fire and post-fire seasonal home ranges to the overlap of year-to-year seasonal home ranges. Caribou rarely encountered recent burns and when they did, they adjusted their space use in variable and complex ways that were largely indistinguishable from regular, interannual variation. Caribou tended to reduce use of recent burns in summer–autumn and winter, but not during the calving season, in some cases shifting their home range to incorporate more burned habitat. We conclude that recently burned areas (<5 years) may provide habitat value to woodland caribou, particularly during the calving season, requiring a more flexible approach to interpret fire in habitat management strategies.

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Spring diet of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in a moose (Alces alces) – woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) system in northern Ontario, Canada

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2020-0263 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 721-728

Author(s):

A.A.D. McLaren ◽

S.E. Jamieson ◽

M. Bond ◽

A.R. Rodgers ◽

B.R. Patterson

Keyword(s):

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Ursus Americanus ◽

Alces Alces ◽

Black Bear ◽

Black Bears ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

Northern Ontario ◽

American Black ◽

American Black Bears

American black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) are opportunistic foragers, and across most of their range in North America, their diet is predominantly vegetation with limited consumption of vertebrates and invertebrates. However, they are also predators of ungulates, especially neonates, with regional variation in the amount of predation pressure they exert. We used scat analysis to examine the diet of black bears during the calving season in a moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)) – woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) system in the Boreal forest of northern Ontario, Canada. Bears consumed herbaceous plants (46.5%), fruits and (or) seeds (20.0%), moose (3.3% adults; 4.3% calves), American beaver (Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820; 8.5%), and insects (mostly ants; 4.2%). Bears had the highest consumption of moose and beaver in early spring, before switching to a more vegetation-dominated diet. We did not detect evidence of caribou consumption. Based on our results, black bear consumption of moose, particularly neonates, may warrant further investigation.

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Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875) Ward, 1917 (Trematoda) in woodland caribou, Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin), of northeastern Quebec, and its distribution in wild ungulates in Canada

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z71-041 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 49 (2) ◽

pp. 280-281 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

L. P. E. Choquette ◽

G. G. Gibson ◽

B. Simard

Keyword(s):

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Rangifer Tarandus Caribou ◽

Wild Ungulates ◽

Woodland Caribou ◽

New Host ◽

Fascioloides Magna ◽

First Time

Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875) Ward, 1917 was found in a new host, woodland caribou, Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin), for the first time in Quebec, in eastern Ungava. The distribution of F. magna in wild ungulates in Canada is reviewed.

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