Lakehead University Library Logo
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   Knowledge Commons
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Undergraduate theses
    • View Item
    •   Knowledge Commons
    • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    • Undergraduate theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    quick search

    Browse

    All of Knowledge CommonsCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDisciplineAdvisorCommittee MemberThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDisciplineAdvisorCommittee Member

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Metapopulation viability analyses of woodland caribou in the Lake Superior range

    Thumbnail

    View/Open

    HardyCooperB2022b-1a.pdf (933.7Kb)

    Date

    2022

    Author

    Hardy-Cooper, Brian

    Degree

    Honours Bachelor of Environmental Management

    Discipline

    Natural Resources Management

    Subject

    Conservation
    Extinction
    Rangifer tarandus
    Refuge islands
    Translocation

    Metadata

    Show full item record

    Abstract

    Woodland caribou populations in the Lake Superior range have deteriorated. The caribou’s decline follows industry growth since the 1900s. Islands like those in Slate Islands Provincial Park, Michipicoten Island and Caribou Island offer periods of escape from wolves, the main predators of caribou. Minute mainland populations exist because of translocations conducted in the early 1980s and late 2010s with A.T. Bergerud, and later Gord Eason at the head. Together with the island populations, the safest and most common areas of translocations, the mainland connects what can be considered a metapopulation. Population viability analyses (PVAs), run on Vortex10, were conducted to determine ways of creating a stable metapopulation with consideration given to future arrivals of wolves and future translocations to the Lake Superior islands. The probability of icing events for caribou dispersion were factored into the PVAs. Wolf appearance on islands has been the chronic limiting factor of caribou abundance. Allowing no translocations created a high probability of functional extinction. Specific translocation starting in the present and continuing until 10 years created the highest likelihood of persistence of the metapopulation. The Slate, Michipicoten, and Caribou islands are crucial to metapopulation persistence. Further recovery of the woodland caribou populations in the Lake Superior range should view translocations as a beneficial management approach.

    URI

    https://knowledgecommons.lakeheadu.ca/handle/2453/4933

    Collections

    • Undergraduate theses

    Lakehead University Library
    Contact Us | Send Feedback

     


    Lakehead University Library
    Contact Us | Send Feedback