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White KS, Hood E, Wolken GJ, Peitzsch EH, Bühler Y, Wikstrom Jones K, Darimont CT. Snow avalanches are a primary climate-linked driver of mountain ungulate populations. Commun Biol 2024; 7:423. [PMID: 38684895 PMCID: PMC11058775 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06073-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Snow is a major, climate-sensitive feature of the Earth's surface and catalyst of fundamentally important ecosystem processes. Understanding how snow influences sentinel species in rapidly changing mountain ecosystems is particularly critical. Whereas effects of snow on food availability, energy expenditure, and predation are well documented, we report how avalanches exert major impacts on an ecologically significant mountain ungulate - the coastal Alaskan mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus). Using long-term GPS data and field observations across four populations (421 individuals over 17 years), we show that avalanches caused 23-65% of all mortality, depending on area. Deaths varied seasonally and were directly linked to spatial movement patterns and avalanche terrain use. Population-level avalanche mortality, 61% of which comprised reproductively important prime-aged individuals, averaged 8% annually and exceeded 22% when avalanche conditions were severe. Our findings reveal a widespread but previously undescribed pathway by which snow can elicit major population-level impacts and shape demographic characteristics of slow-growing populations of mountain-adapted animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S White
- Department of Natural Sciences, Program on the Environment, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA.
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
- Division of Wildlife Conservation (ret.), Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Juneau, AK, 99811, USA.
| | - Eran Hood
- Department of Natural Sciences, Program on the Environment, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA
| | - Gabriel J Wolken
- Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Climate and Cryosphere Hazards Program, Fairbanks, AK, 99709, USA
- Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Erich H Peitzsch
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana, MT, 59936, USA
| | - Yves Bühler
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos CH-7260, Davos, Switzerland
- Climate Change, Extremes and Natural Hazards in Alpine Regions Research Centre CERC, Davos CH-7260, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Katreen Wikstrom Jones
- Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Chris T Darimont
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
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Gude JA, DeCesare NJ, Proffitt KM, Sells SN, Garrott RA, Rangwala I, Biel M, Coltrane J, Cunningham J, Fletcher T, Loveless K, Mowry R, O'Reilly M, Rauscher R, Thompson M. Demographic uncertainty and disease risk influence climate‐informed management of an alpine species. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Gude
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1420 East 6th Avenue Helena MT 59620 USA
| | | | - Kelly M. Proffitt
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1400 South 19th Street Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Sarah N. Sells
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, 205 Natural Sciences Building, University of Montana Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | - Robert A. Garrott
- Department of Ecology Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Montana State University, 310 Lewis Hall Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Imtiaz Rangwala
- North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center & Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado‐Boulder 4001 Discovery Drive, Suite S340 Boulder CO 80303 USA
| | - Mark Biel
- Glacier National Park P.O. Box 128 West Glacier MT 59936 USA
| | - Jessica Coltrane
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 490 North Meridian Road Kalispell MT 59920 USA
| | - Julie Cunningham
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 1400 South 19th Street Bozeman MT 59718 USA
| | - Tammy Fletcher
- U.S. Forest Service, Northern Region Missoula MT 59804 USA
| | - Karen Loveless
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 538 Orea Creek Livingston MT 59047 USA
| | - Rebecca Mowry
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 3201 Spurgin Road Missoula MT 59804 USA
| | - Megan O'Reilly
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 2300 Lake Elmo Drive Billings MT 59105 USA
| | - Ryan Rauscher
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 514 South Front Street, Suite C Conrad MT 59425 USA
| | - Michael Thompson
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks 3201 Spurgin Road Missoula MT 59804 USA
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Martchenko D, White KS, Shafer ABA. Long‐term data reveal effects of climate, road access, and latitude on mountain goat horn size. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daria Martchenko
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University 2140 East Bank Drive Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 Canada
| | - Kevin S. White
- Division of Wildlife Conservation Alaska Department of Fish and Game 802 3rd Street Douglas AK 99824 USA
| | - Aaron B. A. Shafer
- Forensics Program & Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 Canada
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Jessen TD, Service CN, Poole KG, Burton AC, Bateman AW, Paquet PC, Darimont CT. Indigenous peoples as sentinels of change in human‐wildlife relationships: Conservation status of mountain goats in Kitasoo Xai'xais territory and beyond. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler D. Jessen
- Department of Geography University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British Columbia Canada
| | | | - Kim G. Poole
- Aurora Wildlife Research Nelson British Columbia Canada
| | - A. Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Andrew W. Bateman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Paul C. Paquet
- Department of Geography University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British Columbia Canada
| | - Chris T. Darimont
- Department of Geography University of Victoria Victoria British Columbia Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British Columbia Canada
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