Validating antler‐ and movement‐based estimates of caribou reproduction using video camera collars
Johnson HE, Racenet EC, Coulombe GL, Cameron M, Joly K, Kienzler M, Suitor MJ. Validating antler‐ and movement‐based estimates of caribou reproduction using video camera collars
Wildlife agencies invest substantial resources in monitoring ungulate reproductive rates given ongoing concerns about population trends and their implications for management. For barren‐ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus) intheNorthAmericanArctic,data on parturition and neonate survival have traditionally been collected using visual observations of antler retention and calf presence from small, fixed‐wing aircraft. However, these surveys are weather dependent, expensive, and dangerous, motivating the development of movement‐based approaches that infer reproductive events from global positioning system (GPS) location data. We had the unique opportunity to use video camera collars to validate both antler‐ and movement‐based methods for estimating reproduction in barren‐ground caribou, using data from the Porcupine (2018–2023) and Western Arctic (2021, 2023) herds in Alaska,
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Johnson, Heather; Racenet, Emily; Coulombe, Gabrielle; Cameron, Matthew; Joly, Kyle; Kienzler, Martin; Suitor, Michael
- Units
- GAAR