IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v8y2017i1d10.1038_ncomms14510.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Broad-scale lake expansion and flooding inundates essential wood bison habitat

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer B. Korosi

    (University of Ottawa
    York University)

  • Joshua R. Thienpont

    (University of Ottawa
    Brock University)

  • Michael F. J. Pisaric

    (Brock University)

  • Peter deMontigny

    (Carleton University)

  • Joelle T. Perreault

    (Carleton University)

  • Jamylynn McDonald

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Myrna J. Simpson

    (University of Toronto Scarborough)

  • Terry Armstrong

    (Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories)

  • Steven V. Kokelj

    (Northwest Territories Geological Survey, Government of the Northwest Territories)

  • John P. Smol

    (Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Queen’s University)

  • Jules M. Blais

    (University of Ottawa)

Abstract

Understanding the interaction between the response of a complex ecosystem to climate change and the protection of vulnerable wildlife species is essential for conservation efforts. In the Northwest Territories (Canada), the recent movement of the Mackenzie wood bison herd (Bison bison athabascae) out of their designated territory has been postulated as a response to the loss of essential habitat following regional lake expansion. We show that the proportion of this landscape occupied by water doubled since 1986 and the timing of lake expansion corresponds to bison movements out of the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. Historical reconstructions using proxy data in dated sediment cores show that the scale of recent lake expansion is unmatched over at least the last several hundred years. We conclude that recent lake expansion represents a fundamental alteration of the structure and function of this ecosystem and its use by Mackenzie wood bison, in response to climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer B. Korosi & Joshua R. Thienpont & Michael F. J. Pisaric & Peter deMontigny & Joelle T. Perreault & Jamylynn McDonald & Myrna J. Simpson & Terry Armstrong & Steven V. Kokelj & John P. Smol & J, 2017. "Broad-scale lake expansion and flooding inundates essential wood bison habitat," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-8, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14510
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14510
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14510
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms14510?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:8:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms14510. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.