Mountain Goats Research Articles

‘It’s a people problem, not a goat problem.’ Mitigating human–mountain goat interactions in a Canadian Provincial Park

Context Wildlife viewing is a primary reason people visit parks and protected areas. However, high rates of visitation increase the potential for interactions between humans and wildlife. This close proximity of humans and wildlife can lead to habituation to human presence and pose a threat to both animals and humans. Aims We describe human–mountain goat interactions in Cathedral Provincial Park (CPP), in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and examine management and mitigation strategies to reduce these interactions. Methods This project was a collaboration with BC Parks. We used community-based participatory research methodologies, conducting interviews and surveys from July 2020 to November 2021 with park visitors, staff, and researchers. Key results Most respondents encountered mountain goats in the park and understood the park’s messaging; however, not all respondents took the necessary steps to reduce encounters. We recommend further education efforts focused on formal staff training and improved infrastructure in the park. Conclusions Our results can be used to inform management decisions related to human–wildlife interactions, primarily in parks and protected areas. On a proximate level, we suggest further educational efforts and improved infrastructure in the park to help overcome perceived lack of action by some participants. Ultimately, there is a need to incorporate human aspects of human–wildlife interactions into management decisions aimed at addressing potential and existing problems. Implications Using a multitude of approaches to management, informed by biological, social, and cultural knowledge, can improve responses and mitigation strategies in human–wildlife interactions. Collaboration among different stakeholders allows for the exchange of ideas and innovations that can contribute to positive movement towards coexistence of humans and wildlife in parks and recreational areas.

Five-Year Effects of Introduced Mountain Goats and Recreation on Plant Communities and Species of Conservation Concern in an Alpine Sky Island

Alpine ecosystems in the arid southwestern United States are vulnerable to climate change. Many of these ecosystems are experiencing increased recreational use and introductions of nonindigenous ungulates. In the La Sal Mountains of southeastern Utah, alpine plant communities support an endemic plant species, Erigeron mancus, 11 plant and two animal species of conservation concern, and a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Research Natural Area. Nonindigenous mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) were introduced by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) in 2013 and 2014, and recreational use has increased in the intervening period. To evaluate potential effects of mountain goat and recreational use, vegetation monitoring was initiated by the USDA Forest Service in 2016. We used 5 y monitoring data (2016–2020) and generalized linear mixed models to analyze the separate and interacting effects of year, recreational use, and mountain goat use on: (1) populations of plant species of conservation concern; (2) vascular and nonvascular plant cover; and (3) ground cover. Our analyses revealed decreases in proportional frequency of E. mancus at the end of the monitoring. Proportional cover of dominant plant growth forms, especially forbs, declined, while proportional cover of litter and ineffective ground cover (bare soil and pavement) increased. Recreational or goat use were a factor in several of the observed changes, although weather and climate likely also influenced the results. Management complexity arises because of the different missions of USDA Forest Service and UDWR, but adjustments in mountain goat numbers and recreational use may be needed to maintain ecologically resilient ecosystems. Continued monitoring can provide the basis for adaptive management.

Species conflict at Earth’s edges – Contests, climate, and coveted resources

Direct conflict between species is an infrequently witnessed biological phenomenon. Potential drivers of such contests can include climate change, especially at Earth’s high elevation and latitudinal extremes where temperatures warm 2–5 times faster than elsewhere and hydro-geomorphic processes such as glacial recession and soil erosion affect species access to abiotic resources. We addressed a component of this broader issue by empirical assessments of mammalian conflict over access to four abiotic resources – minerals, water, snow, and shade – by annotation of past studies and by empirical data collection. Evidence for Nearctic and Palearctic mammals indicates that when desert waters are in short supply, contests intensify, generally favoring larger species regardless of their status as native or exotic. Our empirical data indicate that contests between two large and approximately similarly-sized mammals – mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) – along a 2,500 km gradient at three high-altitude (above tree-line) sites in the Rocky Mountains of North America, result in striking asymmetries; goats dominated > 95% of interactions. Despite far fewer observations of encounters to access shade or snow patches, an increasingly prominent dialog needs to be held about rarely explored biological phenomena where less is known than we might otherwise presume, whether induced by climate or increasing anthropological alteration because of underpinnings to understand community structure and conservation planning. Observations on the frequency and intensity by which individuals escalate behavior to access abiotic resources remains an underappreciated arena to help identify the proximate importance of scarcity in the natural environment. Notwithstanding Darwin’s prediction some 165 years ago that populations in extreme environments (high-latitude, high-altitude) are more likely to be impacted by abiotic variables than biotic, conflict between species may be reflective of climate degradation coupled with the changing nature of coveted resources.

Regulations and hunter preference affect mountain goat harvest and horn length

Wildlife management attempts to balance consumptive and non‐consumptive values to manage hunting opportunities, considering population resilience. Mountain goats Oreamnos americanus are particularly sensitive to harvest. Using data from 33 792 mountain goats harvested in British Columbia (BC), Canada, between 1977 and 2019, we performed Bayesian regressions to examine the effect of regulations (limited entry hunting (LEH) or general open season (GOS)) on yearly harvest and harvest sex ratios. We also investigated temporal trends and the effect of licensed hunter residency (resident in British Columbia, or not) on harvest sex ratios. We then examined how horn length of harvested mountain goats was influenced by sex, year of harvest, age and mountain range. The more restrictive LEH regulations generally reduced harvest of mountain goats. The annual proportion of males harvested appeared independent of regulation and increased over time. Non‐resident hunters harvested a greater proportion of males compared to resident hunters. The combined length of the first and second horn growth increments decreased slightly with age at harvest for males but increased for females, suggesting a possible very weak hunter selection for males with rapid early horn growth and possibly against lactating females. Our study supports LEH regulations and hunter education to distinguish sex and age as key tools for mountain goat harvest management. Similar tools could be considered to manage other ungulates that are sensitive to harvest.

Using Bayesian networks to map winter habitat for mountain goats in coastal British Columbia, Canada

The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) is an iconic wildlife species of western North America that inhabits steep and largely inaccessible terrain in remote areas. They are at risk from human disturbance, genetic isolation, climate change, and a variety of other stressors. Managing populations is challenging and mountain goats are particularly difficult and expensive to inventory. As a result, biologists often rely on models to estimate the species’ abundance and distribution in remote areas. We used landscape characteristics evident at point locations of mountain goat visual observations, tracks, and telemetry locations, along with random locations, to learn the structure and parameters of a Bayesian network that predicted the suitability of habitats for mountain goats. We then used the model to map habitat suitability across 285,000 km2 of potential habitat in mountain ranges of the south and central Canadian Pacific coast. Steep slopes, forest cover characteristics, and snow depth were the important drivers. Modeling the system as a Bayesian network provided several advantages over more common regression methods because input variables were heterogenous (i.e., a mix of discrete and continuous), autocorrelated, and animals exhibited non-linear responses to landscape conditions. These common characteristics of ecological data routinely violate the assumptions of parametric linear models, which are commonly used to map habitat suitability from animal observations.

Demographic uncertainty and disease risk influence climate‐informed management of an alpine species

AbstractClimate change is expected to disproportionately affect species occupying ecosystems with relatively hard boundaries, such as alpine ecosystems. Wildlife managers must identify actions to conserve and manage alpine species into the future, while considering other issues and uncertainties. Climate change and respiratory pathogens associated with widespread pneumonia epidemics in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) may negatively affect mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations. Mountain goat demographic and population data are challenging to collect and sparsely available, making population management decisions difficult. We developed predictive models incorporating these uncertainties and analyzed results within a structured decision making framework to make management recommendations and identify priority information needs in Montana, USA. We built resource selection models to forecast occupied mountain goat habitat and account for uncertainty in effects of climate change, and a Leslie matrix projection model to predict population trends while accounting for uncertainty in population demographics and dynamics. We predicted disease risks while accounting for uncertainty about presence of pneumonia pathogens and risk tolerance for mixing populations during translocations. Our analysis predicted that new introductions would produce more area occupied by mountain goats at mid‐century, regardless of the effects of climate change. Population augmentations, carnivore management, and harvest management may improve population trends, although this was associated with considerable uncertainty. Tolerance for risk of disease transmission affected optimal management choices because translocations are expected to increase disease risks for mountain goats and sympatric bighorn sheep. Expected value of information analyses revealed that reducing uncertainty related to population dynamics would affect the optimal choice among management strategies to improve mountain goat trends. Reducing uncertainty related to the presence of pneumonia‐associated pathogens and consequences of mixing microbial communities should reduce disease risks if translocations are included in future management strategies. We recommend managers determine tolerance for disease risks associated with translocations that they and constituents are willing to accept. From this, an adaptive management program can be constructed wherein a portfolio of management actions are chosen based on risk tolerance in each population range, combined with the amount that uncertainty is reduced when paired with monitoring, to ultimately improve achievement of fundamental objectives.

Quantifying the effects of recent glacial history and future climate change on a unique population of mountain goats

Human disturbance and climate change can impact populations by disrupting movement corridors and reducing important habitat. Characterizing how animals respond to such environmental changes is valuable for conservation as many species can experience reduced genetic diversity when deleterious habitat change occurs, leading to an increased likelihood of extirpation. Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) exemplify this conservation challenge; their geographically isolated habitat can inhibit gene flow, making them susceptible to population declines in the face of anthropogenic-induced change. To facilitate biologically informed population management of mountain goats in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, we characterized the fine-scale genetic population structure and examined how future climate change could impact population density. Our results indicated that three genetically distinct subpopulations exist in Glacier Bay and that the genealogical history is reflective of the historic landscape patterns. Climate modeling predicted that demographic productivity was likely to be reduced for all subpopulations; additionally, we found that climate change likely degrades the suitability of movement corridors that facilitate gene flow between subpopulations, ultimately increasing the cost of travel. Understanding such fine-scale patterns are key to managing subpopulations, particularly with impending changes to the landscape.

Особенности самовозобновления сосны на гари

The results of a comprehensive study of the burnt area formed in 2006 on the site of a rocky pine forest in the southern part of the Republic of Karelia, east of Lake Onega, are presented. It has been established that the self-renewal of pine in the burnt area proceeds successfully. Here, young animals of mixed composition were formed. The number of pine undergrowth is 2400 ind./ha. Its number is almost 2 times higher than the number established by the 2020 Reforestation Rules. The young generation of pine is characterized by significant differentiation both in height — from 0,3 to 5 m, and in age — from 3 to 15 years. Analysis of the course of growth of model specimens showed that the increase in height depends to a greater extent on the height of the pine undergrowth than on age. The maximum values of the current growth are 25…30 cm/year. The composition of the undergrowth is dominated by mountain ash and goat willow. The total number of undergrowth species exceeds 1460 ind./ha. Living ground cover is represented by 21 species, of which 12 species are representatives of angiosperms and 9 species of mosses and lichens. Xerophytes dominate — heather, cladonia, juniper polytrichum. The soils are poor and are characterized by the predominance of oligopeat species — lingonberries, small sorrel, lichens. Successful natural reforestation is noted on the site of a burnt rocky pine forest.

LABORATORY CONCORDANCE STUDY FOR THE MOLECULAR DETECTION OF MYCOPLASMA OVIPNEUMONIAE.

As part of a respiratory pathogen survey of Alaska wildlife, we conducted a concordance study to assess Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae detection among three different PCR assays using a total of 346 nasal swabs sampled from four species (Dall's sheep, Ovis dalli dalli; mountain goats, Oreamnos americanus; caribou, Rangifer tarandus granti; and moose, Alces alces gigas), and two taxonomic subfamilies (Bovidae subfamily Caprinae and Cervidae subfamily Capreolinae). A federal research laboratory performed two PCR assays (LM40 and intergenic spacer region [IGS]), and a state diagnostic laboratory performed the third (universal Mycoplasma [UM]). Overall concordance was good, ranging from 93% to 99%, which was probably a result of low detection rate of M. ovipneumoniae. Due to differences in positive agreement, the quality of concordance between LM40 and both IGS and UM was considered fair. However, the quality of concordance between IGS and UM was excellent. All three PCR methods detected M. ovipneumoniae in a non-Caprinae species (caribou), and the LM40-PCR assay also detected M. ovipneumoniae in additional Caprinae species. The LM40-PCR assay detected M. ovipneumoniae in a larger number of samples than did the other two assays (IGS, UM). Because of potential differences in detection rates, it is critical to consider test parameters when evaluating a host population for the presence of M. ovipneumoniae.

Evaluating habitat selection models to predict critical habitat for mountain goats in northwest British Columbia

AbstractAnthropogenic activity imposes increasing pressure on wildlife populations globally; these pressures can affect habitat suitability and function, modify wildlife space use, and influence population viability. Native mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations can be negatively affected by anthropogenic disturbance and modify their space use in response to land development and recreational activity. From 2018 to 2020, we studied space use of mountain goats northeast of Smithers, British Columbia, Canada, an area that is subject to increasing anthropogenic development and yearlong recreational activities. We aimed to generate models that would improve our ability to identify habitat for mountain goats relative to existing survey data and established ungulate winter ranges. Using resource selection function (RSF) analyses generated from global positioning system (GPS) collar data, we identified influential habitat covariates and compared these covariates and RSF values to existing habitat models. Additionally, we compared the extent to which our models were congruent with existing resource selection probability functions, were congruent with aerial survey data, and overlapped existing ungulate winter ranges previously derived from predictive models inside and outside of the study area. Overall, our models noted higher RSF values among GPS data relative to aerial survey data for winter months, while results for summer habitats were comparable. In extending our RSFs outside of the study area and evaluating the overlap with ungulate winter ranges in adjacent areas, values were similar, albeit lower, as is expected given that the models were developed elsewhere. Ultimately, these models, combined with existing methods, improve the accuracy and reliability of identified, important areas of habitat for mountain goats. We recommend that the RSF models generated here be used in conjunction with aerial survey data and existing methods to delineate ungulate winter ranges for mountain goats in similar eco‐regions in British Columbia. The models developed here support existing methods that have been used to delineate or validate ungulate winter ranges for mountain goats in British Columbia and help facilitate mitigation measures to support the continued use of important winter habitat and significant landscape features that play a role in ensuring population viability and resilience through time.

Diet analysis using generalized linear models derived from foraging processes using R package mvtweedie.

Diet analysis integrates a wide variety of visual, chemical, and biological identification of prey. Samples are often treated as compositional data, where each prey is analyzed as a continuous percentage of the total. However, analyzing compositional data results in analytical challenges, for example, highly parameterized models or prior transformation of data. Here, we present a novel approximation involving a Tweedie generalized linear model (GLM). We first review how this approximation emerges from considering predator foraging as a thinned and marked point process (with marks representing prey species and individual prey size). This derivation can motivate future theoretical and applied developments. We then provide a practical tutorial for the Tweedie GLM using new package mvtweedie that extends capabilities of widely used packages in R (mgcv and ggplot2) by transforming output to calculate prey compositions. We demonstrate this approach and software using two examples. Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) provisioning their chicks on a colony in the northern Gulf of Alaska show decadal prey switching among sand lance and prowfish (1980–2000) and then Pacific herring and capelin (2000–2020), while wolves (Canis lupus ligoni) in southeast Alaska forage on mountain goats and marmots in northern uplands and marine mammals in seaward island coastlines.

Thinning the thickets: Foraging of hardy cattle, sheep and goats in green alder shrubs

Abstract Green alder shrubs Alnus viridis increasingly overgrow European mountain pastures but hinder natural forest succession. This nitrogen‐fixing, autochthonous invasive species has numerous negative effects including the loss of biodiversity and landscape aesthetic, eutrophication of soils and downstream waters, and greenhouse gas emission. Over centuries, A. viridis encroachment was impeded by grazing livestock, particularly goats. However, in modern agriculture, livestock numbers decreased on remote mountain pastures and goat farming became unprofitable. A grazing experiment tested if hardy breeds of the more economically attractive livestock species, cattle and sheep can replace goats as A. viridis antagonists. On a subalpine pasture heavily encroached by A. viridis, space use and debarking (bark foraging) by Dexter cattle, Engadine sheep and Pfauen goats were analysed using GPS tracking and vegetation mapping. Dexter cattle used space least evenly (Camargo evenness: cattle = 0.39; sheep = 0.52; and goats = 0.47) and preferred flat slopes and open pastures. They spent least time foraging in A. viridis stands (relative presence while foraging: cattle = 0.55; sheep = 0.76; and goats = 0.80). Dexter cattle did not debark any A. viridis, but damaged shrubs by trampling. Engadine sheep visited A. viridis stands nearly as often as goats, but preferred flat slopes, short vegetation and shrub edges more clearly than goats. This sheep breed debarked significantly more A. viridis branches (average 244 branches per paddock; 7.4% of all A. viridis branches) than goats (45; 0.8%). Goats preferred mountain‐ash shrubs Sorbus aucuparia covering only 2% of the shrub layer. Synthesis and applications. Green alder shrubs, controlled by goats traditionally, overgrow valuable mountain pasture ecosystems today. Cattle, kept instead of goats, may slow down but not hinder shrub encroachment, because they avoid shrub stands and do not debark green alder. However, this study is the first to show that Engadine sheep are even better suited for green alder clearance than goats. Moreover, if management goals include forest re‐establishment, Engadine sheep outperform goats, because they debark green alder (which hinders forest regeneration), but do not destroy elderberry—a valuable forest pioneer. Hardy breeds are an important tool to maintain biodiverse, open pastures, restore natural mountain forests and mitigate the negative environmental effects of shrub encroachment.

MOUNTAIN GOAT (OREAMNOS AMERICANUS) POPULATION RECOVERY AT POST-ERUPTION MOUNT ST. HELENS (LAWETLAT'ɬ A), WASHINGTON

The powerful volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 is commonly reported to have killed large numbers of wildlife species, including near-extirpation of the local Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) population. In the decade after 2000 we increasingly received reports of goat sightings around Mount St. Helens, including nannies with kids in 2007. By 2011, we estimated 15 to 25 goats were present on the landscape. In 2014, we initiated 2 lines of research. The first was a review of historic records to document pre-eruption goat populations. The second was the establishment of an annual minimum population-size survey using simple ground-count methods. In 2015, we revised our methods, and our results between 2015 and 2020 show a general growth trend of minimum population size from 152 goats in 2015 to 200 in 2020, with a peak of 240 goats observed in 2019. In 2017 and 2020, we paired ground counts with aerial surveys (with sighting correction) to better estimate population size, and observed 246 goats (245.9, 90% CI = 232.3–260.4) in 2017 and 252 (251.7, 90% CI = 233.2–270.1) in 2020. Our 2020 aerial estimate of ∼252 goats is a population 5 times (and possibly 10 times) the size of the 20–50 Mountain Goats we speculate were present in the same landscape prior to the 1980 eruption landscape, and reveals a substantial local recovery of the species.

Indigenous peoples as sentinels of change in human‐wildlife relationships: Conservation status of mountain goats in Kitasoo Xai'xais territory and beyond

AbstractLocal people can act as sentinels for change, especially for wildlife populations not monitored by centralized governments. Responding to concern expressed by the Kitasoo Xai'xais (KX) First Nation over a decline in mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) sightings, our community‐academic partnership assessed the conservation status of goats in KX territory and beyond in British Columbia by evaluating three independent information sources. Aerial surveys (2019 and 2020) over 542 km2 revealed a low‐density population (mean 0.25, SD 0.12 goats/km2), typical of peripheral coastal range. Interviews with KX Knowledge Holders revealed that sightings from sea level have declined sharply over 40 years, a period during which temperatures have increased and snowpack has decreased. Finally, Kill data (1980–2018) showed that kills/hunter/day initially increased among guided hunters before plateauing, but declined among resident hunters (~70% of hunt days) in both coastal and interior BC. Convergent patterns among datasets suggest that coastal goats declined in abundance and/or reduced use of low‐elevation habitat, disrupting a millennia‐old relationship between KX people and goats, thereby posing a conservation concern. Broadly, our work shows that detecting threats to peripheral populations, and wildlife in general, can be informed and empowered by the knowledge of place‐based peoples and associated decentralized management. Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation mountain goat research illustrates roles of Indigenous peoples as sentinels of population and ecosystem change.

Long‐term data reveal effects of climate, road access, and latitude on mountain goat horn size

AbstractPotential negative artificial selection on horn size is a concern for many harvested ungulates. The mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) has distinct black horns, but targeting animals based on horn size in the field can be challenging. We analyzed over 23,000 horn records that included base circumference and total length, from which we also derived horn volume, from mountain goats harvested in Alaska, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories from 1980 to 2016. We tested 3 potential drivers of horn size variation: geographical location, environmental conditions, and artificial selection. We found no support for a latitudinal effect with surprisingly little variation across the sampling distribution. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation had the largest effect outside age in the model, suggesting a role of climate in shaping variation. Mountain goats harvested closer to roads had larger horns, indicating that ease of access might allow hunters to be more selective, though the effect size was small. Our findings reinforce the value of accurate and complete record keeping on horn size, age, and sex of harvested animals, and highlight the importance of explicitly considering climate and accessibility when devising management strategies for the mountain goat.

Six Poems

Six Poems Robin S. Ngangom (bio) understanding I can understand on this virtual dayeven without smelling,let alone touching it. So,I'll not say a wordabout the sea giving up a toddlerI can even understandthis groundswell of pityas if humanity was testing the waters of feeling,after adapting a short brackish tragedy,despite pleas from the gentlest mourner not to usethe image of drowningbut only remember a child's smile,in an age whose only metaphysical worry is,"what can be saved?"trees, animals, or children, for instance,late after the mocking, "ecstatic destruction." forgetting When we became forgetfulWe cannot remember what gives us pauseOn days which seem to never end.To forget is to die once moreThrough Moses's Egypt to the Wuhan spectacle.Creatures, animate or notStill journey on bravely slighting bordersCoal, dazed refugees, torpedoes, mountain goats,Even as pestilence brokers have begun roaring:"The economy is dead!Long live the economy!" [End Page 124] We notice streets bereft of children,Luxury yachts for the first time whileA goods train leisurely flattensA curve of migrant workersAnd snow-crowned peaksSwim into view daily on grimy streets.We cannot mask an ineffable fearUnlike emperor penguins marchingIn a dignified line toward extinction. father on earth With a hobbling gaitmy father whips out his dickand pisses like a dog. He's 86 and lost his reason.Not quite, for when he loses his temperhe blurts out: "Dog's cunt."But the man who never prayedwhen I was a kidand asked us to burn his horoscopeis now humming hymns.What is the matter with him?Is it the strain of dementiawhich is supposed to run in the family?Is he penitent about his infidelities? I remember his gentle physician's handsthat mended my fractured fearsas a child,his joke about village dogsrefusing to bark at Rip Van Winkle,his histrionic tale of Bremen's musicians. My mother, long-suffering and prejudicedcould never catch a wink when he shoutsin the dead of night as his demons needle him.But she often holds his hands and caresses themand talks to him as one would to a child.She's been doing this for years now.So it must be love.My father now mimics my little daughter.In fact, he is the son I never fathered. [End Page 125] funerals and marriages I've stopped going to marriages and funerals. Any demonstration ofgrief or joy unnerves me. Solemnity withers me and dark sartorialelegance moves no one. It's not that I've forgotten kindness or to wishpeople happiness if they can find it. I could help the bereaved furtivelyafter the mourners have eaten and left. I have become truly unsociable. I can't fathom why anyone would like to be comforted except by peoplethey love selfishly. You only need hugs and kisses from people who giveyou, when pressed, your morsel of flesh. I cannot be comforted, exceptby the woman I love illicitly. I often wonder about the efficacy of marriages and funerals. Couldit be because others are as worried, as I was during my own weddingfeast, that my friends would not show up for some mystifying reason?As regards funerals, I know that if the house of the dead cannot keepa demonic hold on me my absence will not make any difference. ButI don't want to be censured for not attending marriages or funerals. Iwish people would not invite me to weddings or bring news of an oldacquaintance's death. If I could I wouldn't attend even my own funeral. I remember the day I returned home, and without even seeing my fatherI went to my aunt's house when I heard my cousin had died during mylong absence. I tried to match my aunt's grief by trying to show sometears in my eyes but ended up sniffing like a dog. After that, my cousin'ssister, my other lovely cousin, in whose body...

Altai text of Vitalii Bianki

Selected works of V.V.Bianki are considered in the context of the theory of local supertexts (the Tartu-Moscow school). The Altai text acts as a subsystem of the Siberian text, coinciding with it in a number of parameters, but being isolated by geographic reference to the region. The proposed analysis makes it possible to single out the invariant motive of the “Altai” works of the writer — the existential choice of a person at the acute moment of the “fight” with a representative of natural forces, embodying the “spirit” of Altai. Human characters are hierarchically organized according to the degree of increased involvement in natural life: urban — local — scientist-naturalist. At the opposite pole there are variants of a kind of genius loci of the region: sable, bear, mountain goat, element. Bianki’s palette is not limited to the genres indicated by the author: novella and short stories. Starting with a reliable image of the “hunt-trade” (“Askyr,” “The last shot”), the author continues with stories with a bias towards anecdote (“Fatal beast,” “Somersault”) and the parable (“Boon”), and ends with the text, actualizing the canon of a fairy tale (“She”). The designated corpus of texts has not only thematic coherence, but also increased orderliness. Structural and semiotic connectivity is manifested in the tendency to the formation of binary microcycles, the presence of a single plot invariant and a mythological core. All these are arguments in favor of the existence of the Altai text in the writer’s work.

Variation in age of primiparity in mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) estimated from horn growth increments

Variation in age of primiparity is important for population dynamics and wildlife management because it can affect population growth. Using a novel technique based on the trade-off between annual horn growth and reproduction, we estimated the age of primiparity for 2274 female mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus (Blainville, 1816)) harvested across British Columbia, Canada, from 1976 to 2019. We then investigated spatio-temporal variation in the probability that harvested females were primiparous when aged 3, 4, or 5 years and older using Bayesian ordinal regressions. We found that the probability of primiparity at 3 years decreased over time in nearly all mountain ranges. In the Coastal Mountain range, however, the probability of primiparity at age 3 significantly increased. These results suggest that the large coastal populations of mountain goats could be more resilient to harvest than other populations in British Columbia, which may be experiencing environmental effects promoting later primiparity. Models predicting age of primiparity from annual growth measures are a valuable tool for wildlife management and could help conservation of many species.

A novel sampling approach to estimating abundance of low‐density and observable species

AbstractInformative species abundance estimates are critical for guiding decisions around the conservation and management of ecological systems. There exist many methods for estimating abundance of frequently encountered species and populations with uniquely identifiable individuals. However, for wildlife populations with unmarked individuals that occur at low densities, there exist a variety of behaviors and characteristics that make effectively surveying and sampling challenging or uninformative. Examples of challenging characteristics include the elusive behaviors of low‐density species that occur in complex and rugged terrain. Such characteristics make detection difficult and surveys expensive, dangerous, and potentially biased. To address these challenges, we used a common, non‐invasive field survey method combined with a probability‐based study design and frequently utilized statistical model to estimate abundance of an unmarked mountain goat population in eastern Idaho. We developed a novel data analysis approach using an N‐mixture model that, together with spatially balanced random sampling and a double‐observer field data collection method, directly solves the problem of approximating statistical assumptions, including population closure. We demonstrate that a probability‐based sampling design not only is feasible, but also is important for estimating population parameters for unmarked and low‐density species. With this approach, we present a procedure that offers unbiased abundance estimates, empowering managers to track low‐density species’ population trends across time.

Effects of population density on static allometry between horn length and body mass in mountain ungulates

Little is known about the effects of environmental variation on allometric relationships of condition‐dependent traits, especially in wild populations. We estimated sex‐specific static allometry between horn length and body mass in four populations of mountain ungulates that experienced periods of contrasting density over the course of the study. These species displayed contrasting sexual dimorphism in horn size; high dimorphism in Capra ibex and Ovis canadensis and low dimorphism in Rupicapra rupicapra and Oreamnos americanus. The effects of density on static allometric slopes were weak and inconsistent while allometric intercepts were generally lower at high density, especially in males from species with high sexual dimorphism in horn length. These results confirm that static allometric slopes are more canalized than allometric intercepts against environmental variation induced by changes in population density.