Use of Climatic Data to Model the Presence of Oestrid Flies in Caribou Herds
Morschel FM. 1999. Use of Climatic Data to Model the Presence of Oestrid Flies in Caribou Herds. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 63(2):588-593
Both caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are heavily persecuted by warble flies and nasal botflies (Oestridae; Hypoderma tarandi, Cephenemyia trompe), which can have negative effects on these ungulates. Climatic data were collected concurrently with observations of caribou in 1994 and 1995 in the north-central Alaska Range and used to model presence of oestrid flies. Presence or absence of oestrid flies was indexed by observations of caribou annoyance behavior. Daytime temperature and wind speed were the most important climatic factors affecting oestrid fly presence and were used to build a simple model. The model allows prediction of the probability of oestrid fly presence, based on temperature and wind speed, and may be used to describe the effect of oestrid flies on caribou behavior and population dynamics.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Morschel, Frank
- Units
- ARCN , BELA , CAKR , GAAR , KOVA , NOAT
- Keywords
- Arctic, Behavior, Caribou, Cephenemyia trompe, Hypoderma tarandi, Insects, Modeling, nasal botflies, Presence, Rangifer tarandus, Reindeer, tarandus, Temperature, warble flies, Wind Speed