Relationship between the Onset of Winter and Collared Lemming Abundance at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
1932-90
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16865928 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter A Scott, Peter Scott (0000-0003-1230-9040, Wisconsin Disability Association, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1993 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 1993-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | ARCTIC (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0843 • E-ISSN: 1923-1245 |
| Publisher | The Arctic Institute of North America (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.14430/arctic1355 |
| OpenAlex | W2117109066 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
Ten periods of high abundance and nine periods of low abundance of collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx richardsoni) at Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, were determined from 1932 to 1990 using published and unpublished trapping studies. Response functions were used to relate extremes of lemming abundance to temperature and precipitation in the preceding 25 months. Good correspondence was found between conditions around fall freeze-up and both high and low collared lemming abundance. This indicates that far-from-average temperature and precipitation may moderate the abundance of collared lemmings. During spring and fall the southern tundra, such as at Churchill, has a high frequency of annual freeze-thaw cycles, indicating that this area may be more stressful to lemmings than cooler climates with fewer freeze-thaw cycles.Key words: Churchill, Manitoba, collared lemmings, cycles, freeze-thaw, temperature, precipitation, freezing rain, snow cover
Abundance (ecology) · Arctic · Biology · Climatology · Geography · Meteorology · Physical geography · Precipitation · Snow · Tundra · Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies · Ecology · Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies · Environmental Science · Geology · Species Distribution and Climate Change
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |