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Felton AM, Wam HK, Borowski Z, Granhus A, Juvany L, Matala J, Melin M, Wallgren M, Mårell A. Climate change and deer in boreal and temperate regions: From physiology to population dynamics and species distributions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17505. [PMID: 39319472 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
Climate change causes far-reaching disruption in nature, where tolerance thresholds already have been exceeded for some plants and animals. In the short term, deer may respond to climate through individual physiological and behavioral responses. Over time, individual responses can aggregate to the population level and ultimately lead to evolutionary adaptations. We systematically reviewed the literature (published 2000-2022) to summarize the effect of temperature, rainfall, snow, combined measures (e.g., the North Atlantic Oscillation), and extreme events, on deer species inhabiting boreal and temperate forests in terms of their physiology, spatial use, and population dynamics. We targeted deer species that inhabit relevant biomes in North America, Europe, and Asia: moose, roe deer, wapiti, red deer, sika deer, fallow deer, white-tailed deer, mule deer, caribou, and reindeer. Our review (218 papers) shows that many deer populations will likely benefit in part from warmer winters, but hotter and drier summers may exceed their physiological tolerances. We found support for deer expressing both morphological, physiological, and behavioral plasticity in response to climate variability. For example, some deer species can limit the effects of harsh weather conditions by modifying habitat use and daily activity patterns, while the physiological responses of female deer can lead to long-lasting effects on population dynamics. We identified 20 patterns, among which some illustrate antagonistic pathways, suggesting that detrimental effects will cancel out some of the benefits of climate change. Our findings highlight the influence of local variables (e.g., population density and predation) on how deer will respond to climatic conditions. We identified several knowledge gaps, such as studies regarding the potential impact on these animals of extreme weather events, snow type, and wetter autumns. The patterns we have identified in this literature review should help managers understand how populations of deer may be affected by regionally projected futures regarding temperature, rainfall, and snow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika M Felton
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lomma, Sweden
| | - Hilde Karine Wam
- Department of Wildlife and Rangelands, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway
| | | | - Aksel Granhus
- Department of Forest Management, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway
| | - Laura Juvany
- Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Lomma, Sweden
| | - Juho Matala
- Natural Resources Unit, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Joensuu, Finland
| | - Markus Melin
- Natural Resources Unit, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Joensuu, Finland
| | - Märtha Wallgren
- Skogforsk (Forestry Research Institute of Sweden), Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå, Sweden
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Searle KR, Butler A, Waggitt JJ, Evans PGH, Bogdanova MI, Hobbs NT, Daunt F, Wanless S. Opposing effects of spatiotemporal variation in resources and temporal variation in climate on density dependent population growth in seabirds. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:2384-2399. [PMID: 36177549 PMCID: PMC10092667 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how ecological processes combine to shape population dynamics is crucial in a rapidly changing world. Evidence has been emerging for how fundamental drivers of density dependence in mobile species are related to two differing types of environmental variation-temporal variation in climate, and spatiotemporal variation in food resources. However, to date, tests of these hypotheses have been largely restricted to mid-trophic species in terrestrial environments and thus their general applicability remains unknown. We tested if these same processes can be identified in marine upper trophic level species. We assembled a multi-decadal data set on population abundance of 10 species of colonial seabirds comprising a large component of the UK breeding seabird biomass, and covering diverse phylogenies, life histories and foraging behaviours. We tested for evidence of density dependence in population growth rates using discrete time state-space population models fit to long time-series of observations of abundance at seabird breeding colonies. We then assessed if the strength of density dependence in population growth rates was exacerbated by temporal variation in climate (sea temperature and swell height), and attenuated by spatiotemporal variation in prey resources (productivity and tidal fronts). The majority of species showed patterns consistent with temporal variation in climate acting to strengthen density dependent feedbacks to population growth. However, fewer species showed evidence for a weakening of density dependence with increasing spatiotemporal variation in prey resources. Our findings extend this emerging theory for how different sources of environmental variation may shape the dynamics and regulation of animal populations, demonstrating its role in upper trophic marine species. We show that environmental variation leaves a signal in long-term population dynamics of seabirds with potentially important consequences for their demography and trophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam Butler
- Bioinformatics and Statistics ScotlandEdinburghUK
| | | | | | | | - N. Thompson Hobbs
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability & Graduate Degree Program in EcologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
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Baribeau A, Tremblay J, Côté SD. Occupancy modeling of habitat use by white‐tailed deer after more than a decade of exclusion in the boreal forest. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean‐Pierre Tremblay
- Center for Northern Studies and Centre for Forest Research, Biology Dept, Univ. Laval Quebec QC Canada
| | - Steeve D. Côté
- Center for Northern Studies, Biology Dept, Univ. Laval Quebec QC Canada
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Herfindal I, Tveraa T, Stien A, Solberg EJ, Grøtan V. When does weather synchronize life-history traits? Spatiotemporal patterns in juvenile body mass of two ungulates. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1419-1432. [PMID: 32108334 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Theory predicts that animal populations will be synchronized over large distances by weather and climatic conditions with high spatial synchrony. However, local variation in population responses to weather, and low synchrony in key weather variables or in other ecological processes may reduce the population synchrony. We investigated to what extent temperature and precipitation during different periods of the year synchronized juvenile body mass of moose and reindeer in Norway. We expected high synchronizing effect of weather variables with a high and consistent explanatory power on body mass dynamics across populations, and a weaker synchronizing effect of weather variables whose effect on body mass varied among populations. Juvenile body mass in both species was related to temperature and precipitation during several periods of the year. Temperature had the strongest explanatory power in both species, with a similar effect across all populations. There was higher spatial synchrony in temperature compared to precipitation, and accordingly temperature had the strongest synchronizing effect on juvenile body mass. Moreover, periods with strong explanatory power had stronger synchronizing effect on juvenile body mass in both species. However, weather variables with large variation in the effects on body mass among populations had weak synchronizing effect. The results confirm that weather has a large impact on the spatial structure of population properties but also that spatial heterogeneity, for instance, in environmental change or population density may affect how and to what extent populations are synchronized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivar Herfindal
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Torkild Tveraa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Audun Stien
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Erling J Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Vidar Grøtan
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Fuller J, Ferchaud A, Laporte M, Le Luyer J, Davis TB, Côté SD, Bernatchez L. Absence of founder effect and evidence for adaptive divergence in a recently introduced insular population of white‐tailed deer (
Odocoileus virginianus
). Mol Ecol 2019; 29:86-104. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.15317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jérémie Fuller
- Département de Biologie Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Research Chair in Integrated Management of the Resources of Anticosti Island and Centre d'Études Nordiques (CEN) Québec QC Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS) Université Laval Québec QC Canada
| | - Anne‐Laure Ferchaud
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS) Université Laval Québec QC Canada
| | - Martin Laporte
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS) Université Laval Québec QC Canada
| | - Jérémy Le Luyer
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS) Université Laval Québec QC Canada
| | | | - Steeve D. Côté
- Département de Biologie Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Research Chair in Integrated Management of the Resources of Anticosti Island and Centre d'Études Nordiques (CEN) Québec QC Canada
| | - Louis Bernatchez
- Département de Biologie Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative des Systèmes (IBIS) Université Laval Québec QC Canada
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Weiskopf SR, Ledee OE, Thompson LM. Climate change effects on deer and moose in the Midwest. J Wildl Manage 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R. Weiskopf
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science CenterRestonVA 20192USA
| | - Olivia E. Ledee
- Department of the Interior Northeast Climate Adaptation Science CenterSt. PaulMN 55108USA
| | - Laura M. Thompson
- U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science CenterRestonVA 20192USA
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Manning K, Timpson A, Shennan S, Crema E. Size Reduction in Early European Domestic Cattle Relates to Intensification of Neolithic Herding Strategies. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141873. [PMID: 26630287 PMCID: PMC4668083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Our analysis of over 28,000 osteometric measurements from fossil remains dating between c. 5600 and 1500 BCE reveals a substantial reduction in body mass of 33% in Neolithic central European domestic cattle. We investigate various plausible explanations for this phenotypic adaptation, dismissing climatic change as a causal factor, and further rejecting the hypothesis that it was caused by an increase in the proportion of smaller adult females in the population. Instead we find some support for the hypothesis that the size decrease was driven by a demographic shift towards smaller newborns from sub-adult breeding as a result of intensifying meat production strategies during the Neolithic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Manning
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Timpson
- Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Shennan
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Crema
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,CaSEs-Complexity and Socio-Ecological Dynamics Research Group, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Department of Humanities, Barcelona, Spain
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Pierre-Olivier J, Bradley RL, Tremblay JP, Côté SD. Combining near infrared spectra of feces and geostatistics to generate forage nutritional quality maps across landscapes. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 25:1630-1639. [PMID: 26552270 DOI: 10.1890/14-1347.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
An important asset for the management of wild ungulates is recognizing the spatial distribution of forage quality across heterogeneous landscapes. To do so typically requires knowledge of which plant species are eaten, in what abundance they are eaten, and what their nutritional quality might be. Acquiring such data, however, may be difficult and time consuming. Here, we are proposing a rapid and cost-effective forage quality monitoring tool that combines near infrared (NIR) spectra of fecal samples and easily obtained data on plant community composition. Our approach rests on the premise that NIR spectra of fecal samples collected within low population density exclosures reflect the optimal forage quality of a given landscape. Forage quality can thus be based on the Mahalanobis distance of fecal spectral scans across the landscape relative to fecal spectral scans inside exclosures (referred to as DISTEX). The Gi* spatial autocorrelation statistic can then be applied among neighboring DISTEX values to detect and map "hot spots" and "cold spots" of nutritional quality over the landscape. We tested our approach in a heterogeneous boreal landscape on Anticosti Island (Québec, Canada), where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations over the landscape have ranged from 20 to 50 individuals/km2 for at least 80 years, resulting in a loss of most palatable and nutritious plant species. Our results suggest that hot spots of forage quality occur when old-growth balsam fir stands comprise >39.8% of 300 ha neighborhoods, whereas cold spots occur in laggs (i.e., transition zones from forest to peatland). In terms of ground-level indicator plant species, the presence of Canada bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) was highly correlated with hot spots, whereas tamarack (Larix laricina) was highly correlated with cold spots. Mean DISTEX values were positively and significantly correlated with the neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin contents of feces. While our approach would need more independent field trials before it is fully validated, its low cost and ease of execution should make it a valuable tool for advancing both the basic and applied ecology of large herbivores.
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Searle KR, Rice MB, Anderson CR, Bishop C, Hobbs NT. Asynchronous vegetation phenology enhances winter body condition of a large mobile herbivore. Oecologia 2015; 179:377-91. [PMID: 26009244 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how spatial and temporal heterogeneity influence ecological processes forms a central challenge in ecology. Individual responses to heterogeneity shape population dynamics, therefore understanding these responses is central to sustainable population management. Emerging evidence has shown that herbivores track heterogeneity in nutritional quality of vegetation by responding to phenological differences in plants. We quantified the benefits mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) accrue from accessing habitats with asynchronous plant phenology in northwest Colorado over 3 years. Our analysis examined both the direct physiological and indirect environmental effects of weather and vegetation phenology on mule deer winter body condition. We identified several important effects of annual weather patterns and topographical variables on vegetation phenology in the home ranges of mule deer. Crucially, temporal patterns of vegetation phenology were linked with differences in body condition, with deer tending to show poorer body condition in areas with less asynchronous vegetation green-up and later vegetation onset. The direct physiological effect of previous winter precipitation on mule deer body condition was much less important than the indirect effect mediated by vegetation phenology. Additionally, the influence of vegetation phenology on body fat was much stronger than that of overall vegetation productivity. In summary, changing annual weather patterns, particularly in relation to seasonal precipitation, have the potential to alter body condition of this important ungulate species during the critical winter period. This finding highlights the importance of maintaining large contiguous areas of spatially and temporally variable resources to allow animals to compensate behaviourally for changing climate-driven resource patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate R Searle
- NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK.
| | - Mindy B Rice
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 W. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Charles R Anderson
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 W. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Chad Bishop
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 W. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - N T Hobbs
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80524, CO, USA
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Shallow JRT, Hurley MA, Monteith KL, Bowyer RT. Cascading effects of habitat on maternal condition and life-history characteristics of neonatal mule deer. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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11
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Bergman EJ, Doherty PF, White GC, Holland AA. Density dependence in mule deer: a review of evidence. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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12
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Simard A, Huot J, De Bellefeuille S, Côté SD. Influences of habitat composition, plant phenology, and population density on autumn indices of body condition in a northern white-tailed deer population. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anouk Simard
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
- Ministère du Développement durable; de l'environnement; de la Faune et des Parcs; Direction de l'Expertise sur la faune et ses habitats; 880 Chemin Sainte-Foy Québec QC, Canada G1S 4X4
| | - Jean Huot
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Sonia De Bellefeuille
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
| | - Steeve D. Côté
- NSERC Industrial Research Chair in integrated resource management of Anticosti Island; Département de biologie and Centre d'études nordiques; Université Laval; Québec QC, Canada G1V 0A6
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