Search results for "Rangifer tarandus"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Reconstructing caribou seasonal biogeography in Little Ice Age (late Holocene) Western Alaska using intra-tooth strontium and oxygen isotope analysis
2019
Abstract The palaeobiogeography of key prey-species can provide valuable insights into animal-human interactions, human subsistence activities and landscape use in the past. In many contemporary indigenous Arctic societies, caribou (Rangifer tarandus spp.) are an important seasonal subsistence species, and recent climatic shifts have influenced the seasonal and spatial distribution and migrations of herds. The impact of larger scale climatic change on this species, such as that experienced during the Little Ice Age (LIA), is not known, but may provide vital clues about future variability. Here we present sequential strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ18OCO3) isotope data from archaeological …
Data from: Moving in the Anthropocene: global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements
2019
Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects no…
Experimental infection of the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) has no negative effects on the physiology of the captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandu…
2011
The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) is a haematophagous parasitic fly of cervids that spread to Finland in the early 1960's. Presently its northern distribution limit lies at approximately 65°N and it is gradually spreading northwards. In Finland the principal host species has been the moose (Alces alces), but the deer ked is about to establish contact with another potential host, the semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) causing possible threats to reindeer health and management. The aim of this study was to investigate if the deer ked would have an influence on the welfare of the reindeer. Eighteen adult reindeer were divided into three experimental groups: the control group …
Basal ice formation in snow cover in Northern Finland between 1948 and 2016
2018
Abstract Basal ice formation in the terrestrial snow cover is a common phenomenon in northern circumpolar areas, one having significant impacts on ecosystems, vegetation, animals and human activities. There is limited knowledge on the spatial and temporal occurrence of basal ice formation because of the sparse observation network and challenges involved in detecting formation events. We present a unique dataset on the annual extent of ice formation events in northern Finland between 1948 and 2016 based on reindeer herders’ descriptions of the cold season in their management reports. In extreme years, basal ice can form over wide geographical extents. In approximately half of the herding dis…
Can a snow structure model estimate snow characteristics relevant to reindeer husbandry?
2014
Snow affects foraging conditions of reindeer e.g. by increasing the energy expenditures for moving and digging work or, in contrast, by making access of arboreal lichen easier. Still the studies concentrating on the role of the snow pack structure on reindeer population dynamics and reindeer management are few. We aim to find out which of the snow characteristics are relevant for reindeer in the northern boreal zone according to the experiences of reindeer herders and is this relevance seen also in reproduction rate of reindeer in this area. We also aim to validate the ability of the snow model SNOWPACK to reliably estimate the relevant snow structure characteristics. We combined meteorolog…
Porolaidunnuksen vaikutus sammalten monimuotoisuuteen tuottavilla ja vähätuottoisilla tuntureilla pohjoisessa Fennoskandiassa
2010
Laiduntajat vaikuttavat kasvillisuuteen useilla sekä suorilla että epäsuorilla mekanismeilla, joista epäsuorat voivat olla ekosysteemiprosessien kannalta tärkeämpiä. Vähätuottoisella tundralla kasvinsyöjien vaikutuksen kasvillisuuteen tiedetään olevan merkittävä, mutta suuri osa tutkimuksesta on keskittynyt laiduntajien ravintokasveihin. Tundralla sammalet muodostavat suuren osan kasviyhteisöjen biomassasta ja monimuotoisuudesta, ja niiden on havaittu toimivan laiduntajien vaikutusten välittäjinä muuhun kasvillisuuteen ja maaperään. Laidunnuksen vaikutuksia sammalyhteisöihin on kuitenkin tutkittu hyvin vähän. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin poron (Rangifer tarandus tarandus L.) laidunnukse…