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Cited by 62Wildlife Ecology and ConservationAnimal Ecology and Behavior StudiesRangeland and Wildlife Management

Ungulate movement in an extreme seasonal environment: year‐round movement patterns of high‐arctic muskoxen

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Schmidt, Niels M., van Beest, Floris M., Mosbacher, Jesper B., Stelvig, Mikkel, Hansen, Lars H., Nabe‐Nielsen, Jacob, Gr⊘ndahl, Carsten·2016·Wildlife Biology
DOI 10.2981/wlb.00219
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Abstract

Detailed knowledge on movement behaviour of free‐ranging muskoxen Ovibos moschatus is currently lacking. Quantifying variation in individual movement and the variables driving such patterns is important to understand how they meet their basic requirements and to inform management. Because muskoxen exist in nutrient‐poor systems with extreme climatic and seasonal variability, individual movement patterns are expected to be largely dependent on environmental conditions and the seasonal variation therein. We analysed high‐resolution location data of 14 adult female muskoxen roaming around Zackenberg in northeast Greenland (74°28′N, 20°34′W). We assessed the relative importance (Akaike variable weights) of multiple extrinsic conditions in explaining variation in hourly speed, turning angles, and activity. We found that time of day, ambient temperature, and land cover types were the most important covariates explaining variation in fine‐scale movement and activity patterns throughout the year. Movement speeds were consistently lower in land cover types with more dense vegetation. Speed of movement was positively correlated with ambient temperature when the days were long, while negatively related with temperature in periods with few or no hours of daylight. Diurnal peaks in movement and activity patterns were observed most of the year (including mid‐winter months with 24‐h darkness), except during high‐summer (24‐h of daylight), when individual movement and activity remained continuously high. The topographic variation (elevation and slope) explained only a small part of the variation in muskox movement patterns in the areas where the muskoxen were observed. Analyses of displacement patterns revealed a mixture of movement behaviours. We conclude that muskoxen in high‐arctic Greenland adopt a largely nomadic movement behaviour, but do so within a rather small geographical area (app. 5000 km 2 ), and that their movement and activity patterns are largely directed at finding suitable foraging patches and avoiding cold‐stress during harsh winter weather.

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  • Mixed groups will occasionally leave to colonize an entirely different region, even moving across glacial barriers.

    “Mixed groups will occasionally leave to colonize an entirely different region (Cuyler pers. comm.), even moving across glacial barriers (Schmidt et al. 2016).”

    From Muskox status, recent variation, and uncertain future (2020) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al. 2016

    The Results report one collared muskox climbing mountains and glaciers above 1,000 m in winter, supporting movement across glacial terrain. They do not establish that a mixed group made that crossing. The separate claim about colonizing a different region is attributed to Cuyler, not Schmidt et al. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • To take advantage of forage quality and accessibility, groups may move between winter and summer ranges, while in other areas habitat heterogeneity allows muskoxen a more sedentary lifestyle.

    “To take advantage of forage quality and accessibility, groups may move between winter and summer ranges (Tener 1960; Gunn and Fournier 2000), while in other areas habitat heterogeneity allows muskoxen a more sedentary lifestyle (Schmidt et al. 2016).”

    From Muskox status, recent variation, and uncertain future (2020) · cites this paper as Schmidt et al. 2016

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Authors
Schmidt, N. M., van Beest, F. M., Mosbacher, J. B., Stelvig, M., Hansen, L. H., Nabe‐Nielsen, J., & Gr⊘ndahl, C.
Affiliations
  • Aarhus University (DK)
  • Dept of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 DK‐4000 Roskilde Denmark
  • Copenhagen Zoo (DK)
Corresponding author
Schmidt, Niels M.
ORCID
Venue
Wildlife Biology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2016-11
Volume
22
Issue
6
Pages
253-267
ISSN
  • 0909-6396 (ISSN-L)
  • 1903-220X
DOI
10.2981/wlb.00219
OpenAlex
W2545217924
Cited by
62
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 2
FWCI
5.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Wildlife Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • BioOne Complete (BioOne) (submittedVersion)
  • Scopus (Elsevier) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
Miljøstyrelsen
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
Keywords
Ovibos moschatus, ungulate movement, high Arctic, seasonal variation, movement behavior, activity patterns, ambient temperature, land cover, diurnal activity, nomadic migration, foraging, cold stress, topography, Zackenberg, Northeast Greenland

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