PR (Wolf 2020): 077 - Denning ecology of barren-ground wolves in the central Canadian Arctic.

My study focused on investigating wolf-caribou dynamics on the summer range of the Bathurst caribou herd. I used a multi-scale study design to investigate the behavioural and population responses of wolves during a severe decline in caribou numbers. The summer ranges of the Bathurst herd contracted north towards their calving grounds as the herd declined and caribou remained farther from the summer territories of wolves for relatively longer portions of the denning period. Density-dependent range contraction of caribou correlated with increases in den abandonment and lower pup recruitment, eventually leading to a decrease in wolf density. At low caribou abundance, variation in wolf movements indicated that prey were more readily available for some packs than others; extended movements away from the den in search of prey correlated with higher rates of pup mortality. My results documented a strong numerical response of wolves to a single declining prey base.