Shifting and expanding ranges of a sub-Arctic caribou herd and associated changes in vegetation.

ABSTRACT: Rapid climate warming has contributed to significant changes in Arctic and boreal vegetation over the past half century. Changes in vegetation can impact wildlife by altering habitat and forage availability, which can affect behavior and range use. However, animals can also influence vegetation through foraging and trampling and therefore play an important role in determining ecosystem responses to climate change. As wildlife populations grow, density-dependent processes can prompt range expansion or shifts. One mechanism for this is density-dependent forage reduction, which can contribute to nutritional stress and population declines, and can also alter vegetation change trajectories. We assessed the range characteristics of a migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herd in east-central Ala

SUBMITTER: Orndahl KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12175647 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature