Climatic changes and caribou abundance in northern Québec over the last century

Authors

  • Michel Crête Service de la faune terrestre, Ministère du Loisir, de la Chasse et de la Pêche, 150 boul. Saint-Cyrille Est, 5ième étage Québec, Qué., Canada GlR 4Y1
  • Serge Payette Center d'études nordiques, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Qué., Canada G1K 7P4

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/2.10.3.849

Keywords:

caribou, climate, Québec, Rangifer, climatic changes, caribou abundance

Abstract

The temperature increase observed in the Northern hemisphere during the first half of this century was also detectable in Québec; it affected both summer and winter. In northern Québec, warmer summers stimulated growth and favored range expansion of trees and shurbs. Based on black spruce krummholz height and water level in lakes, the warmer period was also characterized by greater snowfall and deeper snow cover. This period of deep snow coincided with apparent caribou scarcity. Three hypotheses were explored to relate increased temperature with caribou decline: 1) destruction of winter habitat due to high frequency of forest fires, 2) increased energy cost to obtain forage in deep snow and 3) delayed melting of snow on calving grounds that shortened the time to raise calves. The combined effect of the 3 mechanism could explain caribou scarcity, particularly for the Rivière George herd whose calving ground becomes snow free in late June. Ways to test the third hypothesis are proposed.

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Published

1990-09-01

How to Cite

Crête, M., & Payette, S. (1990). Climatic changes and caribou abundance in northern Québec over the last century. Rangifer, 10(3), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.7557/2.10.3.849