Assessing trends in migration behavior and associated survival consequences.
Migrations are key to the life history strategy of many species and are fundamental to the functioning of many ecological processes, yet migratory behavior is disappearing across the globe and many migratory species are endangered. Internationally, conservation actions have not provided for sufficient protection of all seasonal ranges and migration habitat required by these species. In a long-term dataset that tracked annual individual caribou movement over a 30+ year study, we tested:
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Do caribou in the population of our study migrate over clearly defined and static corridors?
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Have and, if so, have the prevalence of migration tactics (being either migrant or resident) changed over time?
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How have the use of seasonal ranges (winter and summer) changed over time and how is habitat loss associated with these changes?
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Does survival vary between individuals that are migrant or resident?