Vertebrate populations, trophic dynamics and ecosystem function

Knut Kielland - LTER Symposium 2008

Population status and trends

- integrative ecological functions

Focus:

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Cap

ture

s/t

rap

nig

ht

Small mammal abundance index from 8 standardized trap lines interior Alaska 2003-2007. Total trap nights = 5,169

Data: Excel data sheets - available

Data from Whitman, ADF&G

Debevec and Flamme 2007

Denali National Park

Data: NPS LTEM program

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Mar

-98

Jul-9

8No

v-98

Mar

-99

Jul-9

9No

v-99

Mar

-00

Jul-0

0No

v-00

Mar

-01

Jul-0

1No

v-01

Mar

-02

Jul-0

2No

v-02

Mar

-03

Jul-0

3No

v-03

Mar

-04

Jul-0

4No

v-04

Mar

-05

Jul-0

5No

v-05

Mar

-06

Jul-0

6No

v-06

Mar

-07

Jul-0

7No

v-07

Trapping Date (Month)

Hare

den

sity (

ind

ha-1

)

Data: LTER archive thru 2006

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Moo

se p

opul

atio

n (9

5% C

L)Key: Wolf Control Severe Winter Cow Harvest 5-10% Intensive Management Objective

IMO

Moose population in GMU 20A - Tanana Flats (ADF&G)

Data: electronic and hard copy

= 1.07

High Density Low Density

Cur

rent

Ann

ual G

row

th P

rodu

ctio

n (k

g/ha

)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Remaining Utilized

33%

6%

(Butler and Kielland 2008)

C

P

5X>

20B

25D

20A

20D

21E

20E

19D

19A

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Proportional browse removal (mean plant)

Moo

se tw

inni

ng ra

te

Spearman’s rho = -0.929, 0.005 < P < 0.001

Data from Paragi, ADF&G

“Early Warning”

TWINNING

20A 20A 13A 20D 19D 20C 25D 17AFLATS HILLS

POPULATION (GMU)

Indices of Nutrition Populations ordered by twinning rate

AGE AT FIRST TWINNING

ADULT PREGNANCY

SHORT-YEARLING MASS

2-YR-OLD PREGNANCY3-YR-OLD PREGNANCY

INCREASING NUTRITION

BROWSE REMOVAL

ADF&G data

Moose mobility & snow depth

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

(cm)10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

(cm)

UNRESTRICTED

SLIGHTLY RESTRICTED

RESTRICTED

SERIOUS DIFFICULTY MOVING

MOOSE CONFINED

Source: ADF&G

Brisket height

Snow depth

90 -130 cm

40 - 70 cm

40 cm

Data: ADF&G data base under construction

Lynx ecology

1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Year

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

Nu

mb

er o

f ly

nx

Record of lynx export/sealing data for the state of Alaska 1910-2005 (Kielland compilation 2007)

-28 -27 -26 -25 -24 -23 -22

13C (‰)

1

3

5

7

15N

(‰

)

Snowshoe Hares

Microtines

Lynx

Red Squirrels

Grouse

25 Jan – 1 Feb 2008