In an examination of the life history and population biology of the herd, The Return of Caribou to Ungava offers a synthesis of the basic biological traits of the caribou, a new hypothesis about why they migrate, and a comparison to herd populations in North America, Scandinavia, and Russia. The authors conclude that the old maxim, "Nobody knows the way of the caribou," is no longer valid. Based on a study in which the caribou were tracked by satellite across Ungava, they find that caribou are able to navigate, even in unfamiliar habitats, and to return to their calving ground, movement that is central to the caribou's cyclical migration. The Return of Caribou to Ungava also examines whether the herd can adapt to global warming and other changing environmental realities.
Authors
A.T. Bergerud, A. T. Bergerud, Stuart N. Luttich, Lodewijk Camps
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [539]-575) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 599.65/809714111
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn-qu
- ISBN
- 9780773532335 9780773576780
- LCCN
- QL737.U55
- LCCN Item number
- B475 2008eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xxxvii, 586 p., [31] p. of plates)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)slc00225537 (OCoLC)759101522 (CaOOCEL)432982
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Contents 12
- Donors 10
- Acknowledgments 16
- List of Tables 20
- List of Figures 26
- Preface 36
- Plates 40
- 1 Setting and Background 74
- The Eruption of the George River Caribou Herd 74
- Ungava 75
- Boundaries of Vegetative Zones 83
- Plant Species Composition of Vegetative Zones 86
- Forest Fires 88
- Mammalian Fauna 92
- Those Other Animals 98
- Native Inhabitants 99
- 2 Taxonomy, Ecotypes, Herds, and Morphology 102
- Ecotypes 105
- Migratory Herds 111
- Morphology 112
- 3 The Return of Caribou to Ungava after the Last Ice Age 125
- Postglacial Dispersal and Ecotypes 125
- Recolonization 135
- 4 The Abundance and Distribution of Sedentary Caribou 145
- Distribution 147
- Population Dynamics Background 152
- Population Dynamics of the Major Herds 156
- Population Regulation and Management 173
- 5 Past Population Fluctuations 177
- Postglacial Distribution of Ungava Caribou 177
- Historical Distribution 180
- Past Fluctuation of Numbers 184
- At Home in the Wilderness: The Mushuau Innu and Caribou 194
- 6 Causal Factors in Historical Fluctuations 206
- Early Explanations 208
- A Recent Hypothesis: Increased Snow Cover 215
- Shortage of Green Forage and Cold Springs 217
- 7 Forage and Range 221
- Range Survey, 1988–89 222
- Food Preferences 226
- The Condition of Winter Pastures 231
- The Condition of Summer Pastures 237
- Activity and Energy Budgets 245
- Range Trends 248
- A Look Ahead 250
- 8 Body and Antler Growth 252
- The Measurement of Growth and Body Size 253
- Body Size 254
- Fetal Growth 258
- Birth Mass of Calves 261
- Growth of Calves and Yearlings 267
- Retarded Growth and Compensation 268
- Adult Body Mass 278
- Antler Size 285
- Growth and Demography 289
- 9 Physical Condition 293
- Antler and Calving Indexes 294
- Antler Condition Index 297
- Female Antler Casting 300
- Chewing of Antlers 303
- Calving Chronology 305
- Nutrition and Antler Casting 310
- Liver Weights 312
- Fat Cycle 313
- Energy Expenditure during Migration 322
- Migration/Habitat Strategies and Fat Deposition 327
- Fat Deposition Strategies 328
- Trends in Condition Indices 333
- 10 Recruitment, Mortality, and Population Growth 338
- Basic Indices 339
- Pregnancy/Parous Rates 344
- Calf Mortality Statistics 346
- Adult Mortality 353
- Population Growth 357
- The Decline Phase, 1988–93 358
- 11 Limiting Factors 363
- Starvation 363
- Accidents 366
- Hunting Mortality 368
- Weather Factors 369
- Disease and Parasite 371
- Predation 376
- Differential Mortality of Males and Females 381
- 12 The Use of Space 389
- Aerial Surveys and Radio Monitoring 390
- The Centre of Habitation 392
- Range Expansion 395
- Range Contraction 402
- Range Predictability 408
- Calving, Rutting, and Winter Distributions 412
- Movement Routes 412
- Releasing/Expansion Densities 419
- The “Social Stimulus” Concept 419
- Density-Dependent Changes in the Use of Space 420
- 13 Environmental Factors in Distribution and Movement 424
- Basic Quantification Methods 424
- Seasonal Changes in Mobility 429
- Annual Dispersion and Fidelity in Distributions 446
- Environmental Influences on Seasonal Distributions 452
- 14 Optimal Foraging and Predation Risk in the Winter and Growing Season 475
- Distribution Strategy in Winter 475
- Spacing Strategy in the Growing Season 484
- Competitive Interference at High Densities 495
- Global Warming and Optimal Foraging/Predation Risk 499
- 15 Spacing Theory of Calving and Migration 503
- Migration Hypotheses 503
- Nutrition Destination Hypothesis 505
- Predation Displacement Hypothesis 508
- The Location and Shifting of Calving Grounds 514
- Females Shifted to Reduce Predation Risk 518
- Snow Cover on Calving Grounds 521
- Calving Grounds at Maximum Distance from Tree Line 522
- Density Dependence of Calving Ground Location 523
- Timing of Births 527
- Synchrony of Births 531
- Homing and Navigation 533
- Experimental Evidence of True Navigation 538
- Birth Site Fidelity 540
- Homing of Yearlings 547
- 16 Population Regulation 550
- Parturition Rates 551
- Summer Calf Mortality 555
- Winter Mortality of Calves 559
- Adult Mortality 562
- The Foraging Carrying Capacity 565
- Winter Starvation 565
- Range Fecundity and Calf Survival 567
- Population Model 569
- A Shortage of Summer Foods 572
- Final Comments 579
- Appendix: Summer Energy Budgets for Lactating Females 584
- Bibliography 610
- Index 648
- A 648
- B 648
- C 649
- D 649
- E 650
- F 650
- G 650
- H 651
- I 651
- J 652
- L 652
- M 652
- N 653
- O 653
- P 654
- R 654
- S 655
- T 656
- U 656
- V 656
- W 656
