Supervised by:

Dominique Berteaux (Regular member)

Research project description

USE OF TRAVEL ROUTES BY A TERRITORIAL MAMMAL: THE ARCTIC FOX (VULPES LAGOPUS)

IntroductionThe understanding of recurrent route usage within a home range, as well as the factors influencing their locations, remains limited1. However, this understanding could guide the establishment of standards facilitating the protection of wildlife corridors at intersections between areas inhabited by wildlife and our human infrastructure2. The recurrent movements of predators could also influence the spatial distribution of predation risk, an important variable in animal ecology3. Thanks to recent advances in electronics, near-continuous tracking of animal movements via high-throughput telemetry offers a valuable opportunity for a better understanding of how animals utilize space1, including their recurrent movements along travel routes within the home range4.ObjectivesMy first objective is to determine the best method for detecting the presence of recurrent movements. Then, I will describe travel routes within Arctic fox territories. To finish, the final objective of my project is to understand the spatial distribution of these travel routes within an animal’s home range. Study sitesThe study area, located southwest of Bylot Island (73°08′N, 80°00′W) in Sirmilik National Park, is north of Baffin Island in Nunavut. Covering approximately 600 km2, it is home to the Arctic fox, the main terrestrial predator on the island, exerting significant predation pressure on over 35 species of nesting migratory birds during the summer, as well as on lemmings residing in the same habitat. Characterized by mesic plateaus covering 90% of the territory, the study area is bordered by the sea to the southwest and mountains to the northeast. Plateau generally lie below 350 m. Glaciers feed large swift-flowing rivers and lakes, intersecting the study area. Some steep-sided valleys also dissect the study area5. Material and methodsA total of 53 Arctic foxes were equipped with GPS collars during the summers of 2018, 2019, and 2023. Foxes were captured using cages and rubber-padded leg traps. Individuals were primarily tracked in June and July, with movement data being remotely downloaded using stations communicating with the collars via ultra-high frequency (UHF) waves. The collected data includes GPS locations collected every four minutes. In 2024, I plan to deploy 20 additional GPS collars to supplement the dataset.References1.Alavi, S. E. et al. A Quantitative Framework for Identifying Patterns of Route-Use in Animal Movement Data. Front. Ecol. Evol. 9, (2022). 2. Allen, A. M. & Singh, N. J. Linking Movement Ecology with Wildlife Management and Conservation. Front. Ecol. Evol. 3, (2016). 3.Clermont, J. et al. The predator activity landscape predicts the anti-predator behavior and distribution of prey in a tundra community. Ecosphere 12, e03858 (2021). 4.Berger-Tal, O.

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