Differential selection of North American and Scandinavian conifer browse by northwestern moose (Alces alces andersoni) in winter

• Autorzy: Rea R. V. , Hjeljord O. , Harkonen S.
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

Scandinavian moose (Alces alces) eat Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in winter. Although North American moose are known to eat conifers such as true firs (Abies spp.) in winter, substantial consumption of pine by moose in North America has not been documented. Here, we document short-term winter preferences of human-habituated northwestern moose (Alces alces andersoni) for branches of mature North American and European conifer species as determined by a cafeteria-style feeding trial. Moose selected for species such as Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii; from which they took the smallest bite diameters) while avoiding species such as lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta; from which they took the largest bites) and hybrid white spruce (Picea glauca × engelmanii). The amount of species-specific biomass consumed by moose was negatively correlated with bite diameters taken from branches of those species and did not appear to be significantly influenced by differences in twig morphology between species. Our trial suggests that northwestern moose readily consume conifers in winter and, from the species we tested, prefer Douglas fir. While no clear preference existed between Scots pine and lodgepole pine, moose avoided lodgepole pine, but not Scots pine, relative to Douglas fir. Our trial suggests that northwestern moose are more likely to feed on the branches of Douglas fir than pine, which may be of interest to foresters managing conifers within the North American range of moose, particularly where Scots pine are being considered for planting.

• Wydawca: -
• Czasopismo: Acta Theriologica
• Rocznik: 2014
• Tom: 59
• Numer: 2
• Opis fizyczny: p.353-360,fig.,ref.

Twórcy

autor

Rea R. V.

• Ecosystem Science and Management Program, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, V2N 4Z9 Canada

autor

Hjeljord O.

• Department Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, 1432 As, Norway

autor

Harkonen S.

• Finnish Wildlife Agency, Fantsintie, 13-14, 00890 Helsinki, Finland

Bibliografia

• Andrén H, Angelstam P (1993) Moose browsing on Scots pine in relation to stand size and distance to forest edge. J Appl Ecol 30:133–142
• Ball JP, Dahlgren J (2002) Browsing damage on pine (Pinus sylvestris and P. contorta) by a migrating moose (Alces alces) population in winter: relation to habitat composition and road barriers. Scand J For Res 17:427–435
• Belovsky GE (1981) Food plant selection by a generalist herbivore: the moose. Ecology 62:1020–1030
• Bergerud AT, Manuel F (1968) Moose damage to Balsam fir-white birch forests in central Newfoundland. J Wildl Manag 32:729–746
• Bergquist J, Örlander G (1996) Browsing deterrent and phytotoxic effects of roe deer repellents on Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies seedlings. Scand J For Res 11:145–152
• Bergström R, Hjeljord O (1987) Moose and vegetation interactions in northwestern Europe and Poland. Swed Wildl Res 1(Suppl):213–228
• Bernays EA, Augner M, Abbot DK (1997) A behavior mechanism for incorporating an unpalatable food in the diet of a generalist herbivore (Orthoptera: Acrididae). J Insect Behav 10:841–858
• Borkowska A, Konopko A (1994) Moose browsing on pine and willow in the Biebrza Valley, Poland. Acta Theriol 39:73–82
• Bryant JP, Kuropat PJ (1980) Selection of winter forage by sub-arctic browsing vertebrates—the role of plant chemistry. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 11:261–285
• Carson AW, Rea RV, Fredeen AL (2009) Compensatory shoot growth in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in response to simulated browsing. Alces 45:101–108
• Cederlund G, Ljungqvist H, Markgren G, Stælfelt F (1980) Foods of moose and roe-deer at Grimsö in central Sweden. Results of rumen content analysis. Swed Wildl Res 11:169–247
• Chrosciewicz Z (1986) Foliar moisture content variations in four coniferous tree species of central Alberta. Can J For Res 16:157–162
• Conover MR, Kania GS (1988) Browsing preference of white-tailed deer for different ornamental species. Wildl Soc Bull 16:175–179
• Danell K, Bergström R (1989) Winter browsing by moose on two birch species: impact on food resources. Oikos 54:11–18
• Danell K, Huss-Danell K, Bergström R (1985) Interactions between browsing moose and two species of birch in Sweden. Ecology 66:1867–1878
• Danell K, Niemelä P, Varvikko T, Vuorisalo T (1991) Moose browsing on Scots Pine along a gradient of plant productivity. Ecology 72:1624–1633
• Dawson AB (1989) Soils of the Prince George-McLeod Lake area. Report No. 23. British Columbia Soil Survey, 231p
• Edenius L (1991) The effect of resource depletion on the feeding behaviour of a browser: winter foraging by moose on Scots pine. J Appl Ecol 28:318–328
• Elfvinga B, Ericsson T, Rosvall O (2001) The introduction of lodgepole pine for wood production in Sweden—a review. For Ecol Manag 141:15–29
• Environment Canada (2010) Canadian climate normals 1971–2000. http://​climate.​weatheroffice.​gc.​ca/​climate_​normals/​. Accessed Apr 2010
• Faber WE, Edenius L (1998) Bark stripping by moose in commercial forests of Fennoscandia—a review. Alces 34:261–268
• Faison EK, Motzkin G, Foster DR, McDonald JE (2010) Moose foraging in the temperate forests of southern New England. Northeast Nat 17:1–18
• Gotelli NJ, Ellison AM (2004) A primer of ecological statistics. Sinauer, Sunderland
• Gross JE, Shipley LA, Hobbs NT, Spalinger DE, Wunder BA (1993) Functional response of herbivores in food-concentrated patches: tests of a mechanistic model. Ecology 74:778–791
• Hagen Y (1983) Moose winter browsing in Norway (Viltrapport 26). Direktoratet for vilt og ferskvannsfisk, Trondheim (In Norwegian)
• Heikkilä R, Härkönen S (2000) Thinning residues as a source of browse for moose in managed forests in Finland. Alces 36:85–92
• Heikkilä R, Hokkanen P, Kooiman M, Ayguney N, Bassoulet C (2003) The impact of moose browsing on tree species composition in Finland. Alces 39:203–213
• Hodder DP, Rea RV, Crowley S (2013) Diet content and overlap of sympatric mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), moose (Alces alces), and elk (Cervus elaphus) during a deep snow winter in north-central British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Wildlife Biology and Management 2:43–50
• Jalkanen A (2001) The probability of moose damage at the stand level in southern Finland. Silva Fennica 35:159–168
• Jia JB, Niemelä P, Rousi M, Härkönen S (1997) Selective browsing of moose (Alces alces) on birch (Betula pendula) clones. Scand J For Res 12:33–40
• Langvatn R, Hanley TA (1993) Feeding-patch choice by red deer in relation to foraging efficiency. Oecologia 95:164–170
• Lautenschlager RA, Crawford HS, Stokes MR, Stone TL (1997) Forest disturbance type differentially affects seasonal moose forage. Alces 33:49–73
• Lykke J (2005) Selective harvest management of a Norwegian moose population. Alces 41:9–24
• Milliken GA, Johnson DE (1984) Analysis of messy data: volume I. Designed experiments. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York
• Niemelä P, Danell K (1988) Comparison of moose browsing on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and lodgepole pine (P. contorta). J Appl Ecol 25:761–775
• Randveer T, Heikkilä R (1996) Damage caused by moose (Alces alces L.) by bark stripping of Picea abies. Scand J For Res 11:153–158
• Rea RV, Hodder DP, Hjeljord O, Langen A (2010) Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) shoot selection by moose (Alces alces) following a forest-cleaning experiment. Scand J For Res 25:157–163
• Renecker LA, Schwartz CC (1998) Food habits and feeding behavior. In: Franzmann AW, Schwartz CS (eds) Ecology and management of the North American moose. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, pp 403–440
• Sæther B-E, Andersen R (1990) Resource limitation in a generalist herbivore, the moose Alces alces: ecological constraints on behavioural decisions. Can J Zool 68:993–999
• Salvesen S (1929) The moose and red deer in Norway. J Mammal 10:59–62
• Shipley LA, Blomquist S, Danell K (1998) Diet choices made by free-ranging moose in northern Sweden in relation to plant distribution, chemistry and morphology. Can J Zool 76:1722–1733
• Shipley LA, Illius AW, Danell K, Hobbs NT, Spalinger DE (1999) Predicting bite size selection of mammalian herbivores: a test of a general model of diet optimization. Oikos 84:55–68
• Siipilehto J, Heikkilä R (2005) The effect of moose browsing on the height structure of Scots pine saplings in a mixed stand. For Ecol Manag 205:117–126
• Sjöberg K, Danell K (2001) Introduction of lodgepole pine in Sweden—ecological relevance for vertebrates. For Ecol Manag 141:143–153
• Statsoft (2009) Statistica for Windows, version 9.0
• Tabachnick BG, Fidell LS (2007) Using multivariate statistics, 5th edn. Allyn & Bacon/Pearson Education, Boston, MA
• Thomas DC (1990) Moose diet and use of successional forests in the Canadian taiga. Alces 26:24–20
• Tremblay J-P (2005) Long-term decline in white-tailed deer browse supply: can lichens and litterfall act as alternative food sources that preclude density-dependent feedbacks. Can J Zool 83:1087–1096
• Tucker RE, Majak W, Parkinson PD, McLean A (1976) Palatability of Douglas-fir foliage to mule deer in relation to chemical and spatial factors. J Range Manag 29:486–489
• Ullrey DE, Youatt WG, Johnson HE, Fay LD, Brent BE (1967) Digestibility of cedar and jack pine browse for the white-tailed deer. J Wildl Manag 31:448–454
• van Beest FM, Gundersen H, Mathisen KM, Milner JM, Skarpe C (2010) Long-term browsing impact around diversionary feeding stations of moose in southern Norway. For Ecol Manag 259:1900–1911
• Vivås HJ, Sæther B-E, Andersen R (1991) Optimal twig-size selection of a generalist herbivore, the moose Alces alces: implications for plant-herbivore interactions. J Anim Ecol 60:395–408
• Zar JH (1984) Biostatistical analysis, 2nd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

Uwagi

Rekord w opracowaniu

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.1007/s13364-013-0170-9