Spring phenology drives range shifts in a migratory Arctic ungulate with key implications for the future.

ABSTRACT: Annual variation in phenology can have profound effects on the behavior of animals. As climate change advances spring phenology in ecosystems around the globe, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how animals respond to variation in the timing of seasonal events and how their responses may shift in the future. We investigated the influence of spring phenology on the behavior of migratory, barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus), a species that has evolved to cope with short Arctic summers. Specifically, we examined the effect of spring snow melt and vegetation growth on the current and potential future space-use patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH), which exhibits large, inter-annual shifts in their calving and post-calving distributions across the U.S.-Canadian bo

SUBMITTER: Severson JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8456794 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature