Snowier winters extend autumn availability of high‐quality forage for caribou in Arctic Alaska

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) rely on the short Arctic growing season to restore body condition, support the demands of lactation, and prepare for the long arctic winter, making them susceptible to even small changes in forage availability or quality. Body condition in the summer and autumn is linked...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecosphere (Washington, D.C) D.C), 2021-07, Vol.12 (7), p.n/a
Main Authors: Richert, J. C., Leffler, A. J., Spalinger, D. E., Welker, J. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autumn
Body mass
Climate change
digestibility
Dry matter
Fecundity
Growing season
leaf N
Mineralization
Nitrogen
Phenology
Physiology
Polar environments
Precipitation
Productivity
Rangifer tarandus
Reindeer
Seasonal variations
Seasons
secondary compounds
Shrubs
Snow
Snow depth
Summer
Survival
Taiga & tundra
Tundra
Vegetation
Winter
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Summary:Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) rely on the short Arctic growing season to restore body condition, support the demands of lactation, and prepare for the long arctic winter, making them susceptible to even small changes in forage availability or quality. Body condition in the summer and autumn is linked to winter survival rates and fecundity in cows, critical factors in the productivity of caribou populations. Climate change predictions of warmer and wetter northern winters suggest increased snowfall over Alaska's North Slope, which has recently been verified between 1995 and 2017. However, a comprehensive analysis of how deeper snow will affect caribou forage quality is absent across Alaska. In this study, we quantify how snow depth alters the quality and seasonality of caribou forage using a long‐term (24 yr) International Tundra Experiment snow depth manipulation to evaluate how winter climate change scenarios may affect tussock tundra systems in northern Alaska. Deeper snow in prior winters leads to increases in growing season leaf N and digestible protein (DP) in deciduous shrubs (Salix spp. and Betula spp.) and graminoids (Carex spp. and Eriophorum spp.), but not evergreen dwarf shrubs (Rhododendron spp. and Vaccinium spp.). Dry matter digestibility varied among species with small differences (
ISSN:2150-8925
2150-8925
DOI:10.1002/ecs2.3617