Proceedings Issue No. 1 - 2nd Arctic Ungulate Conference

Rolf Egil Haugerud (Ed.)

doi:10.7557/2.16.2.1195

Abstract

The 2nd International Arctic Ungulate Conference was held 13-17 August 1995 on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. The Institute of Arctic Biology and the Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit were responsible for organizing the conference with assistance from biologists with state and federal agencies and commercial organizations. David R. Klein was chair of the conference organizing committee. Over 200 people attended the conference, coming from 10 different countries. The United States, Canada, and Norway had the largest representation. The conference included invited lectures; panel discussions, and about 125 contributed papers.

Highlights

A broadly acknowledged ecological paradigm states that the diversity of plant andanimal species declines from rhe equator to the poles along a latitudinal gradient (Fischer, I960)
O u r objectives were: (1) To measure the abundance ofcaribou forages relativetotime since fire; (2) T o assess the relationship between cover a n d biomass o f caribou forages; and (3) To obtain information o n relative use of forest types and ages by caribou
O u r samples were restricted to canopyopenings, as the vegetationdif fered under the d r i p areas of trees

Summary

Introduction

A broadly acknowledged ecological paradigm states that the diversity of plant andanimal species declines from rhe equator to the poles along a latitudinal gradient (Fischer, I960). Both Wallace (1878) and Darwin (I860) i n the mid-1800's were impressed by the great diversiry of species they observed i n the tropics, i n contrast to temperate latitudes. T h e paucity o f plant and animal species at h i g h latitudes has been interprered largely o n the basis o f the c l i matic extremes rhat exist there, viewed from a human bias, rather than an ecological or biogeographical perspective. Dispersal of some plant and animal species has occurred longitudinally within the Arctic, those species had a southern origin

Methods

Results

Conclusion