Alces (A Journal Devoted to the Biology and Management of Moose)
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A POSSIBLE SOURCE OF BRAIN ABSCESSES IN BULL MOOSE
No full textABSTRACT: The presence of cranial infections and abscessations is well documented in males of multiple cervids in North America. The preponderance of such infections is related directly to antlers and all processes from antler growth, fighting, and through to casting. One proposed infection pathway is through an open wound at the pedicle formed at casting. Moose generally do not cast antlers in synchrony, and we propose that males irritated by the imbalance of a remaining antler are more likely to actively remove that antler by striking trees. This behavior is a possible explanation for the occurrence of cast antlers with attached bone and that antlers from bulls of all ages can have substantial amounts of parietal bone attached. The force of this activity may cause breakage of the parietal bone leaving either an opening to the meninges in the cranial vault or a significant depression in the bone. We propose that shed antlers with measurable parietal bone attached, estimated as high as 10% of cast moose antlers, would create abnormally large wounds and possibly an enhanced route of cranial infection and subsequent abscessations
MOVEMENTS AND RESOURCE USE BY MOOSE IN TRADITIONAL AND NONTRADITIONAL HABITATS IN NORTH DAKOTA
No full textIn the past several decades, moose (Alces alces) have expanded their range in North Dakota from primarily forested areas to the prairie/agriculture mosaic of the state. As a result, moose are now well-established in a large portion of North Dakota, yet little is known about their ecology in the state. We examined the home ranges, habitat selection, and diets of moose in both traditional (forested) and nontraditional ranges (prairie/agricultural) and inferred whether range expansion is the result of agriculture-related landscape changes. From 2004 to 2006, we placed GPS radio-collars on a total of 14 moose in two study areas: Turtle Mountains (forested) and Lonetree (prairie/agricultural). Total and seasonal home ranges were larger for Lonetree moose, and moose in both study areas selected strongly for wooded habitat. In both study areas seasonal diets ranged from 65 to 99% woody browse, with forbs 15% of summer diets. In the Lonetree area row crops made up the second highest consumed forage in fall (12%) and winter (29%) diets. Larger home ranges in the Lonetree area may reflect the low availability and scattered distribution of wooded habitat. Further, the strong selection for planted woodlands and the high proportion of woody browse and row crops in the diet of Lonetree moose suggests that conversion of the native prairie to agriculture has facilitated range expansion by moose in North Dakota
A REVIEW OF CIRCUMPOLAR MOOSE POPULATIONS WITH EMPHASIS ON EURASIAN MOOSE DISTRIBUTIONS AND DENSITIES
No full textMoose (Alces alces) may be among one of the most susceptible big game species to climate change. Development of long-term circumpolar databases of this species’ densities and distributions, combined with biological, ecological, and management-related metrics, can help guide research and future international management strategies. We emulated methodology previously used to summarize North American moose population and harvest densities for Eurasian countries with free-ranging moose populations. From these data, we created a GIS layer that summarized the circumpolar distribution and density of moose. The following summary analysis of these data indicates that moose have both expanded and contracted along their southern range boundary in recent decades – with losses along the southern range in eastern Asia, particularly China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. In contrast, we documented distributional gains along the western and southwestern range in Europe (Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia). In total, 21 countries have free-ranging moose populations; 8 with sustainable populations and hunting seasons, 5 with sustainable populations but no hunting season, and 8 with vagrant individuals occasionally sighted. A region of high-density moose populations spans from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries into the Russian oblasts of Perm and Sverdlovsk. Distributions ca. 2010 indicated that moose occupied an area of about 16,712,600 km2 in Eurasia. Primary range (management units with ≥0.11 moose per km2) composed only 18% of the occupied range while supporting more than 66% of the estimated 1.2 million moose in Eurasia. Additionally, 47% (149,860) of the moose harvested were taken on 10% (1,722,660 km2) of the range. The 2010 circumpolar moose population was estimated to be more than 2.2 million and occupied a range of 26,205,000 km2. Time-series analyses can offer a simple and cost-effective approach to monitor the status of moose populations across large geographical regions and might be particularly insightful given the current and predicted future influences of climate change on moose. Other analyses might address population dynamics, habitat, environmental constraints, and harvest management, among other issues. We encourage jurisdictions to cooperate strategically in implementing and coordinating GIS analyses to monitor, assess, and manage moose populations around the world. We believe these maps can serve as a useful tool for educating the public and policy makers about the importance of habitat and land use practices with respect to maintaining sustainable populations of moose and other species that are dependent upon boreal, temperate broadleaf, and mixed forests
BROWSE SELECTION BY MOOSE IN THE ADIRONDACK PARK, NEW YORK
No full textMoose (Alces alces americana), a large-bodied and cold-adapted forest herbivore, may be vulnerable to environmental change especially along their southern range in the northeastern United States. Better understanding of moose foraging patterns and resource constraints in this region, which moose recolonized over the past several decades, is needed to anticipate factors that may influence the long-term viability of the regional moose population. We quantified browse selection, intensity and nutritional quality, and the impact of other vegetation potentially interfering with browse availability for moose within the Adirondack Park, New York. We backtracked GPS-collared female moose (n = 23) to assess the seasonal composition of selected browse from 2016 to 2017, compared browse selection to plant nutritional quality, and modeled local browsing intensity. Moose demonstrated a generalist feeding strategy in summer, but in winter selected browse species largely in order of digestible dry matter. Red maple (Acer rubrum) was the most heavily used species in both seasons. Areas having a high proportion of beech (Fagus grandifolia), which in this region regenerates in dense thickets in the aftermath of beech bark disease and thwarts timber regeneration, were associated with reduced browsing intensity by moose in both seasons. Given the limited amount of timber harvest within the Adirondack Park, thoughtful management of harvested stands may increase marketable timber while also benefitting moose and ensuring the longevity of the New York population
METRICS OF HARVEST FOR UNGULATE POPULATIONS: MISCONCEPTIONS, LURKING VARIABLES, AND PRUDENT MANAGEMENT
No full textBiologists often must use incomplete information to make recommendations concerning harvest of large mammals. Consequently, those recommendations must draw on a firm understanding of the ecology of the species in question, along with selection of the most applicable population characteristics on which to base harvest—both essential components for prudent management. Density-dependent processes, which are ubiquitous among populations of large mammals, may be counterintuitive because of unexpected patterns in recruitment coincident with changes in population size. Misconceptions concerning population dynamics of ungulates also can occur when demographics are based solely on correlations with environmental factors. Further, the concept of a harvestable surplus can be misleading for managing ungulate populations, because of the parabolic relationship between population size and number of recruits—harvest determines the surplus rather than vice versa. Understanding consequences of mortality, especially relative components of compensatory or additive mortality, also is necessary. Knowledge of the proximity of an ungulate population to ecological carrying capacity (K) is required to fully assess whether most mortality is compensatory or additive. We describe selected life-history traits and population characteristics of ungulates useful in parametrizing where populations are in relation to K, thereby allowing for a reasonable harvest despite some uncertainty in population size. We advocate an adaptive-management approach while monitoring those life-history traits to evaluate the suitability of a particular harvest strategy
USING SNOW URINE SAMPLES TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF WINTER TICKS ON MOOSE CALF CONDITION AND SURVIVAL
Get PDFSnow urine samples collected in northern New Hampshire, USA were used to measure urea nitrogen (UN) and creatinine (C) content to develop ratios for tracking the nutritional restriction of individual moose (Alces alces) through winter (2014–2017), inclusive of the adult winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) engorgement period. Samples (n = 215) were collected from 55 moose (38 calves, 17 cows) on a twice monthly schedule from late January through snowmelt or calf mortality (March – early April). Early winter UN:C ratios from cows, surviving calves, and calves that ultimately died from infestation of winter ticks were similar and reflected a normal winter diet low in protein. A heightened UN:C ratio (> 3.5 mg/dL) was measured in March which aligned with peak feeding by adult winter ticks, and presumably reflected accelerated protein deficit associated with blood loss. This increase was not observed population-wide despite shared habitat, occurring only in calves with mortal weight loss and anemia associated with heavy winter tick infestation. Measurement of UN:C ratios from snow urine samples proved an effective method to measure the temporal impact of winter tick infestation, and March samples can support other metrics used to estimate calf mortality
GROOMING AND RUBBING BEHAVIOR BY MOOSE EXPERIMENTALLY INFESTED WITH WINTER TICKS (DERMACENTOR ALBIPICTUS)
No full textRates of grooming, rubbing, and shaking were observed of 12 moose (Alces alces) infested with 4 levels of winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) and 5 uninfested control animals. Modes of grooming varied among moose and occurred with the tongue, hind feet, head, ears, antlers, teeth, and neck. Only moose with ticks used teeth and ears to groom. Uninfested moose and moose prior to being infested groomed and rubbed little. Grooming was greater immediately following than before infestation, and initial grooming and rubbing were predominant at the sites of infestation. Grooming declined in mid-winter months when nymphs develop slowly and increased in late winter and early spring when nymphs and adults actively feed; rubbing only increased in late winter and early spring. Cumulative grooming-rubbing was positively correlated with level of tick infestation and hair loss, and negatively correlated with end body weight of female calves only. Intense individual bouts of grooming and rubbing during April lasted 13–141 min. Over the entire study, cumulative grooming-rubbing in daylight hours for moose with 21,000–42,000 larvae equaled 6–28 d (μ = 12.7), and from February to April moose with 42,000 ticks groomed and rubbed on average ≥5.0–7.5 min/h. The removal of ticks was high (77–96%) indicating that grooming and rubbing are positive behavioral responses with respect to reducing the impact of winter ticks
INTERNAL GROSS PATHOLOGY OF MOOSE EXPERIMENTALLY INFESTED WITH WINTER TICKS
No full textCaptive moose (Alces alces) infested with 21,000 and 42,000 larval winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) in September-October, and unifested moose were studied to assess impact of winter ticks on moose. Study animals were euthanized the following April near the end of the parasitic phase of winter ticks. Major organs and selected superficial lymph nodes were examined and compared among treatment groups. No visible lesions were evident in spleen, lung, liver, thyroid, heart, adrenal, and kidney of most moose. Several foci of necrosis in the liver of 1 moose were considered minor and unrelated to tick infestation. Prescapular and prefemoral lymph nodes, but not popliteal nodes, were significantly heavier and reddened in infested than uninfested moose. Hyperactive, hypertrophied lymph nodes may compromise the immune defense of moose and may predispose infested moose to increased risk of bacterial infection. While not a proximate cause of death in heavily infested moose, bacterial infections may contribute as a secondary cause of death
AN ASSESSMENT OF MOOSE AND ELK TRAIN COLLISIONS IN ONTARIO, CANADA
Get PDFTo better understand train collision mortality of moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, we measured collisions along a 20 km segment of railway using post-winter railbed surveys (11 consecutive years), remote cameras, and radio-telemetered elk. We used these data to estimate provincial moose-train collision rates by extrapolating collision rates, moose density, and amount of high use railway per Wildlife Management Unit (WMU). The annual collision rate varied from 0 to 7 moose and 2 to 22 elk on the 20 km section of railway; the combined collision rate of moose and elk was highest in winters with above average snowfall. The extrapolated collision rates of moose indicated that ~1/3 of WMUs had a rate > 0.08 moose/km high use railway/yr; ~2/3 had a rate > 0.04. A conservative estimate of annual mortality was ~265 moose province-wide. Given that railway expansion is predicted globally, and specifically in Ontario, planning should include potential mitigation strategies that minimize ungulate-train collisions