Variation in winter site fidelity within and among individuals influences movement behavior in a partially migratory ungulate.

ABSTRACT: Many animals migrate to take advantage of temporal and spatial variability in resources. These benefits are offset with costs like increased energetic expenditure and travel through unfamiliar areas. Differences in the cost-benefit ratio for individuals may lead to partial migration with one portion of a population migrating while another does not. We investigated migration dynamics and winter site fidelity for a long-distance partial migrant, barren ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) of the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd in northern Alaska. We used GPS telemetry for 76 female caribou over 164 annual movement trajectories to identify timing and location of migration and winter use, proportion of migrants, and fidelity to different herd wintering areas. We found within-individual variation i

SUBMITTER: Fullman TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8483381 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature