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O I W : T H E W O O D L A N D C A R I B O U IndependentStudy ComparingWoodlandCaribouandMoose Synopsis LinktotheOntarioCurriculum: • Grade9AcademicScience(B1.1,1.2) o o • Grade11AcademicBiology(B1.1) o • B1.1:analyzesomeoftherisksandbenefitsofhumanintervention tothebiodiversityofaquaticorterrestrialecosystems F3:demonstrateanunderstandingofconceptsrelatedto populationgrowth,andexplainthefactorsthataffectthegrowth ofvariouspopulationsofspecies Grade11EnvironmentalScienceWorkplacePrep(B1.2) o Grade12AcademicBiology(F3) o • B1.1:assess,onthebasisofresearch,theimpactofafactorrelated tohumanactivitythatthreatensthesustainabilityofaterrestrialor aquaticeco-system B1.2:evaluatetheeffectivenessofgovernmentinitiativesin Canada(federal,provincial,municipal),and/ortheeffortsof societalgroupsornon-governmentalorganizations,suchas Aboriginalcommunities,environmentalgroups,orstudent organizations,withrespecttoanenvironmentalissuethataffects thesustainabilityofterrestrialoraquaticecosystems Thislessonisdesignedtobe completedindependently,with verylittlerequirementfor teacherinput.Thislessoncanbe usedasaculminatingactivityor independentstudyproject. Studentswillcollectinformation aboutWoodlandcariboufrom watchingthesixepisodesofthe Woodlandcaribouseries.They willcomparethisinformation withmaterialtheygatherfrom textonmoose.Theywillusethis tomakeacomparisonbetween thesetwospeciesandmake suggestionsonhowmoose managementcanhelptoguide Woodlandcariboumanagement. B1.2:analysewaysinwhichsocietalneedsordemandshave influencedscientificendeavoursrelatedtotheenvironment OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 1 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU ComparingWoodlandCaribouandMoose ThislessonallowsstudentstosummarizeinformationaboutWoodlandcaribouandmoose andresultsinacomparisonofthetwospecies. TeacherPreparation • • Provideacomputerandheadphonesforthestudenttowatchthevideos ProvidepapercopyorlinktoMooseinformationsheet Afterwatching episodes1-6 Duration Materials • Timing 170minutes Paperordigitalcopyof“Moose” Location Introduction Classroom, Library,or Home Grouping Throughouttheseries,FrankieandTannerlearnaboutthebiologyandecologyof Individuallyor Woodlandcaribou.Theylearnabouttheimpactshumanactionshaveonthe inGroups caribouandthespecies’relationshipwithAboriginalpeoples.Theinvestigators learnaboutthemacroandmicropredatorsthatimpactcariboupopulations. Finally,theylearnaboutthevarioustechnologiesusedtostudythe caribouandtheirpredators,sotheycanlearnaboutpopulation KeyCo dynamicsandstrategiestoaidrecovery. ncepts • Studentswillusethisinformationandcompareittowhattheyread Findin g aboutmoose.Theywillthenmakelargerconclusionsabouthowthey anddi similarities ffe betwe rences mightbemanaged. en northe two rnmam mals ScreeningtheEpisode WatchthesixepisodesoftheWoodlandCaribouSeries.Whilewatching,answerthe followingquestions: 1. Whatdocariboulooklike? 2. Whataretheirmovementpatterns(eg.dotheymigrate)? 3. Whatdotheyeat? 4. Describetheirhabitat? 5. Whataretheirpredators?Aretheyaffectedbyanymicropredators? 6. Howdotheyaffectpeople?Howtopeopleaffectthem? 7. WhatistheirrelationshipwithAboriginalpeople? 8. Howmanyarethere?Howdoscientiststracktheirnumbers? 9. Aretheirnumbersincreasingordecreasing?Why? 10. Whatconservationeffortsarebeingdone?Whattechniquesdoscientistsuse? Read“Moose”.Answerthesamequestionsbutthistimeformoose.Seeendofdocumentforteacher answerstothequestions. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 2 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU Activity 1. StudentsaretousetheiranswerstothepreviousquestionstocreateaVenndiagramshowingthe similaritiesanddifferencesbetweenmooseandWoodlandcaribou. AdditionalResources: https://www.ontario.ca/page/moose-population-management[page1-3] http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/moose.html http://www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/species/speciesDetails_e.cfm?sid=636 http://files.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/species-at-risk/251755.pdf[page33-46] Discussion 1. Arethereanylessonsortechniquesusedforonespeciesthatcouldbeusedfortheother? 2. Basedonwhatthey’velearned,askstudentstorecommendastrategyforcaribourecoverybasedon techniquesusedandlessonslearnedfrommooseexamples. ResearchanddiscusstheprosandconsofcullingpredatorsasarecoverystrategyforWoodlandcaribou OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 3 1 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU Moose CommonName:Moose ScientificName:Alcesalces OtherNames:Elk(inEuropeandAsia),swampdonkey,andtwigeater GeneralAppearance:Themoose’suniquelookcombinesanumberofphysiologicaladaptationsforlife inthenorthernforest.Mooseareaboutthesizeofahorse,withalongbrownish-blackheadandsnout, largeears,andapendantoffurcoveredskin,calledabell,hangingfromthethroat.Moosehavelong, slimlegsthatareabout2meterslongthatendincloven,ordivided,hooves.Theirbodyismassively muscledatitshumpedshoulders,graduallyslimmingouttoashortstubbytail.Moosearethelargest memberofthedeerfamily,whoseNorthAmericanmembersalsoincludeelk,white-taileddeer,mule deer,andcaribou. Malesandfemalescanbetoldapartduringthesummermonthsbytheexistenceofantlersontheheads ofmales(calledbulls)andthelackofantlersonfemales(calledcows).Duringthewindermonths,after antlersareshed,femalescanberecognizedbythecolourofthesnout,whichislightbrown,andawhite patchofhairontheirrumpcalledthevulvapatch. Amalemoosegrowsandthenshedsitsantlerseachyear(unlikehornswhichremainthroughoutan animal’slife).Mooseantlersarethefastesttypeofgrowingboneknownontheplanet.Amoosemay growasetofantlersweighingupto25kilogramsinjustfivemonths! Malemooseweighanaverageof500kilograms,andfemalesaverage425kilograms. Migration:Moosedonotmigrate.Theyareyear-roundresidentstothenorthernforestandstayalocal residenttooneareaiftheyfindenoughnutrition.HugepartsoftheNorthAmericanmoosepopulation haveahomerangeofbetween5and40km2. FoodSources:Mooseareherbivoresandfeedonaquaticvegetation,assortedgroundplants,leaves, andtwigsofbothconifersanddeciduoustreesandshrubs.Moosehavebeenrecordedtoeatupto20kg oftwigsinjustonewinter,andanamazing50kgofgreenvegetationinonesummer’sday! Beforehumansettlement,thelargesuppliesofwoodytwigsneededbymoosewereprovidedbyyoung forestregrowthinthewakeofforestfires.Nowthatwildfiremanagementhasbeenlargelycontrolled, themoose’ssourceoffoodisoftenareasthataregrowingagainafterlogging. Habitat:MoosearefoundintheborealforestcoveringmuchofCanada,fromthePacificcoast,eastto NewfoundlandandLabrador,northtothetreeline.MoosecanalsobefoundinthenorthernUnited States,andsouththroughtothenorthcentralRockyMountains.Moosearebiologicallyrecent immigrantstoNorthAmerica.BiologistsbelievethatmoosetravelledtoNorthAmericafromEurasiato present-dayAlaskaduringthelastglaciationabout11,000yearsago.Moosecanbefoundstilllivingin theborealforestofEuropeandAsia.Moosearecommonlyfoundinspringalonghighwaycorridors wheretheyfeedonthesalt-richwatersthatcollectinroadsideditchesfromwinterroadmaintenance. Assoonasaquaticvegetationgrows,moosecanbefoundfeedingonaquaticvegetationinbeaverponds, rivers,andshallowareasoflakes.Infallandwinter,moosefeedonleaves(whenavailable)andthe youngesttwigsandtreesandshrubs,andwilloftenspendtimeindenseconiferousforestsduringthe coldestwintermonths. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 4 2 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU MajorPredators:Wolvesandbearsconstitutethetwomainpredatorsofmoose.Healthyadultmoose arerelativelysafefrompredationastheirsizeandstrengthmakesthemaformidableopponent.Theold, sick,injured,orveryyoungmaybepreyedonbywolves,butthemajorityofMooseeatenbywolveshave diedofothercauses. Blackbearswillpreyonmoosecalvesintheearlysummerwhentheyarethemostvulnerable.Despite thisvulnerability,amothermoosewillaggressivelywardoffanyattacktohercalf. AparasitecalledBrainworm,whichliveswithnoeffectsinWhite-taileddeer,candrasticallyeffectmoose populations.Thewormispassedfromdeeroutthroughtheirfeces.Snailsfeedingonthefecesingestthe worm,andthenareaccidentlyeatenbybrowsingmoose.This8cmlongroundwormeventuallykillsthe moosethatateit.Sinceitiscarriedbydeer,asthedeerpopulationsfluctuate,sodothenumbersof BrainwormsintheenvironmentandthusinthenumberofMoose. TheWinterTickisanotherparasitethataffectsmoose.Aboutthesizeofagrainofsand,theyclimbonto vegetationandwithfrontlegsoutstretched,theyclimbaboardapassingmoose.Theseticksburrow throughtheirthickfurandintomoose’sskintoseekawarm,food-richplacetospendthewinter. Throughoutthewinter,theycanfeedonenoughofthemoose’sbloodtogrowtothesizeofagrape.The tickitselfdoesnotharmthemoose.Theticksirritatethemoosewhiletheyareattached,whichcausethe moosetorubagainstthingsandcanleadtolargepatchesofhairtoberemovedaroundtheirshoulders andsides.Thiscanresultinthemoosegettinghypothermiaduringthecold,rainy,springconditions. HumanInteractions:Mooseareamajorelementinthecomplexofwildlifeattractionsthatdrawvisitors toparksandotherwildlandstoviewandstudynature.Moosehuntinggeneratesover$500millionin economicactivityannuallyandprovideslargeamountsoffoodforaboriginalandotherruralpeople.For thousandsofyearsAboriginalpeoplehavelivedwith,andhuntedmooseforfood,clothingandmany otheruses. Mooserespondwelltomanagementoftheirhabitatbyloggingorcontrolledburningaslongasthese activitiesmaintainadiversityofopenareasandpatchesoflargertreesforcover.Whilehuman disturbanceshavecontributedtoWoodlandcariboulosingprobablymorethanhalftheirtraditional rangeinOntario,moosehaveadaptedwelltohumanactivities,andwithappropriatemanagement,they willalwaysbepartoftheCanadianwilderness. PopulationStudies:InNorthAmerica,themostcommonmethodtoestimatemoosenumbersis countingindividualsfromanaircraftwhentheyareontheirwinterrange.Itisarelativelysimpleand effectivewaytoestimatethepopulationofmanyspeciespresentduringthewintermonths.Observers typicallyspenddaytimehoursflyingmultiplepasses(transects)throughdifferentsurveyareas. Observersinthehelicopterareconstantlyonthelookoutforbothmooseandtheirtracks.Shouldthe pilotflyoverfreshmoosetracks,thepilot,withhelpofthekeen-eyedobservers,followthetrackstothe animal(s).Whenthemoosearelocated,thenumberofanimalsiscounted,bullsareagedbasedontheir antlersize,andsexisnoted(bull,cow,orcalf).Surveyingcanlastuptotwomonthsuntilthereisenough landareacoveredtoestimatethepopulation.TheMinistryofNaturalResourcesandForestry(MNRF) alsotracksmoosepopulationtrendsthroughhuntersuccessratesandestimatedtrendsinotherfactors, OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 5 3 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU suchaswinterticksandbrainworm.Thecombinedresultsofthesemeasurementsareusedtosetthe numberofadultmoosetagsavailabletohuntersintheannualmoosedraw. MoosepopulationsarenotatriskinCanada.Moosepopulationnumbersmostlyfluctuateinrelationto foodavailability,disease,huntingpressure.Wherepredationandhuntingarelimited,moosenumbers mayincreasetothepointwherefoodisinadequate.Undertheseconditions,manyanimalsstarvewhile allaremalnourishedandmorelikelytobekilledbypredatorsordisease. MNRFalsotracksarangeofenvironmentalfactorsandtheirlong-termeffectsonmoosenumbers,for examplehowclimatechangemaybeimpactingthecomplexrelationshipbetweenweather,habitatand theprevalenceofparasitesanddiseases. Theministryusesmodelingaswellasresearchandmonitoringprojectstoassesstheimpactofthewide rangeoffactorsthatareputtingpressureonmoose. Populationsmustbekeptwithinthelimitssetbytheirfoodsupplytopreventstarvation,disease,and seriousdamagetovegetation.Foresters,inareasthatareoverpopulatedbymoose,findthatthe regenerationoftreesisharmedsignificantlybymoose.Thismayseriouslyreducefuturetimbercropsas wellasthebreedinghabitatofsongbirdsthatnestindeciduousshrubs. Adaptedfrom“TheScienceBehindAlgonquin’sAnimals-Researchprojects-Moose” OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 6 SpeciesComparisonSheet WoodlandCaribou OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU INDEPENDENTSTUDY Both Moose OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 1 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU TeacherAnswers WoodlandCaribou 1.WhatdoWoodlandcariboulooklike? • Woodlandcaribouareamedium-sizedmemberofthedeerfamily.Bothmalesandfemalescan growantlersandlosethemeveryyear.Infact,caribouaretheonlymembersofthedeerfamily whosefemalescangrowantlers • Cariboualsohavelargehoovesthathelpthempaddle • Theirhairishollow,sortoflikeastraw,whichhelpstokeepthemafloatinthewater 2.Whataretheirmovementpatterns? • Thereare2distinctpopulationsofWoodlandcaribou o Theforest-dwellingWoodlandcaribouliveintheforestallyearround.Inwinterthey sometimesgatherinsmallgroups;inthesummertheyarewidelyscatteredthroughout theirhabitatwiththefemalesmovingtosummerrangetohavetheiroffspring. o ThemigratoryWoodlandcaribouliveinthetundraduringspringandsummerandmove intotheborealforestinwinter. 3.Whatdotheyeat? • Forest-dwellingWoodlandcariboulikegroundplantsinthesummer,buttheirfavoritefoodis lichen,whichislowinprotein,buthighincarbohydrates.Lichenhelpprovidecaribouwiththe energytheyneedtosurvivelong,coldwinters. 4.Describeforest-dwellingWoodlandcaribouhabitat • Theyneedlargetractsofintactmatureforestforshelter,food,raisingtheiroffspringand avoidanceofpredators. • Asinglecariboumightneedasmuchas4000sqkilometerstomeetallofitssummerandwinter rangeneeds. 5.Whataretheirpredators?Anymicropredators? • Wolvesandbears. • Mosquitoes,blackflies,horseanddeerflies,meningealbrainworm 6.Howdotheyaffectpeople? • AccordingtoCreeelderThomasCoon,"Everyspeciesincreationisimportant.Allthebiggame andthesmallgame,andtheplants,andtheenvironment,andthewaterandtheair,andpeople arelikeafamily,afamilyofpeople.Andcaribouareoneoftheimportantspecies.Ifthewoodland caribougodown,itaffectstheotherspecies." • Caribouareanindicatorspeciesforthehealthoftheborealforest.Theborealinturnis importantforprovidingpeoplewithcleanairandsequesteringcarbondioxide. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 8 2 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU 7.Howdopeopleaffectthem? • Humandisturbanceslikerailways,highways,landclearing,andvariousindustriesreducethe amountofhabitatavailabletocaribou. • CaribouhavelostprobablymorethanhalftheirrangenowinOntario,they'vebeenpushedthat farnorth. • People'sactivities,likeforestry,changethetypeofforestandmakeitmoresuitableforother specieslikemooseanddeerandcreatemoreopportunitiesforpredators. 8.WhatistheirrelationshiptoAboriginalpeople? • ForthousandsofyearsAboriginalpeoplelivedwithWoodlandcaribouandhuntedthemforfood, clothingandthemakingoftoolsetc. • TodaysomeAboriginalgroupshavestoppedhuntingandareworkingwithgovernmentagencies tohelpintherecoveryeffort. 9.Aretheirnumbersincreasingordecreasing?Why? • TheborealWoodlandcaribounumbersaredecreasingdueto o Lossofhabitat o Increasedpredation 10.Whatconservationeffortsarebeingdone?Whattechniquesdoscientistsuse? • Studiesarebeingdoneontheimpactthatroads,forestry,constructionandotherhumanactivities intheborealforesthaveoncaribousurvivalandrecruitment.Scientistswanttounderstandthe cumulativeeffectofallthehumanactivitiesintheborealforestandfigureoutthethresholdof activitythatwillstillallowcaribouherdstosurviveovertime.Thegoalistofindwaysforpeople tomanagetheborealforestinawaythatallowspeopleandcaribouandalltheotherspeciesto coexist. • Theyusetrackingdevicesandcamerastolearnhowcaribouusetheirhabitat-whattheyeat, wheretheysleep,howfartheymovebetweensummerandwinterhabitat,howmanycalvesthey haveetc. • TheyaregatheringcariboupelletsandusingDNAsamplingtogeneticallyprofileindividual caribou. • Theyarecollaringwolvesforthepurposeofstudyingtheimpactofwolvesoncaribouinrelation todifferentlevelsofhumandisturbanceandthesubsequentincreaseofmooseanddeerinthe area. • Withdatafromthesestudies,computermodelsarebeingcreatedtohelpforecasttheimpactsof differentmanagementstrategiesintheborealforest.Theseinturnaremeanttohelppolicy makersandborealforestmanagersmakegooddecisionsthatensurethesustainabilityof Woodlandcaribouandalltheotherspeciesthatlivethere. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 9 3 INDEPENDENTSTUDY OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU Moose 1.Whatdomooselooklike? • Moosearethelargestmemberofthedeerfamily,whoseNorthAmericanmembersalsoinclude elk,white-taileddeer,muledeer,andcaribou. • Moosehavelong,slimlegsthatendincloven,ordivided,hooves.Thebodyisdeepandmassively muscledattheshoulders,givingtheanimalahumpedappearance. • Theheadisheavyandcompact.Mostmoosehaveapendantoffur-coveredskin,about30cm long,calledabell,hangingfromthethroat. • Malesandfemalescanbetoldapartduringthesummerandfallmonthsbythepresence(bulls) orabsence(cows)ofantlers. 2.Whataretheirmovementpatterns? • Moosedonotmigrate;theystaywithinahomerangeaslongasthereisenoughfoodavailable; homeranges. • HugepartsoftheNorthAmericanmoosepopulationhaveahome-rangeofbetween5-40km2. 3.Whatdotheyeat? • Mooseareherbivoresandfeedonaquaticvegetation,assortedgroundplants,leaves,andtwigsof bothconifersanddeciduoustreesandshrubs. • Beforesettlement,thelargesuppliesofwoodytwigsneededbymoosewereprovidedbyyoung forestregrowthinthewakeofforestfires.Nowthatwildfiremanagementhasbeenlargely controlled,themoose’ssourceoffoodisoftenareasthataregrowingagainafterlogging. 4.Describemoosehabitat • Duringspringandsummer,mooseliveonthemarginsoflakes,pondsandstreamsoftheboreal forest. • Inthewintertheyseekshelterindenseconiferforests. 5.Whataretheirpredators? • Theold,sick,injured,orveryyoungmaybepreyedonbywolves. • Blackbearsalsopreyonmoosecalvesinthespring. • Brainwormisaparasiteofwhite-taileddeer,whichareadaptedtoit.However,inmooseitis deadly,andthereisalonghistoryofmoosedyinginregionswherethetwospeciesoverlap. • TheWinterTickisanothermicropredatorthatcausesdeathsinmoosepopulations.Theydonot killthemoosedirectlybutratherscratchingleadingtolossofhairandthentoillness. 6.Howdotheyaffectpeople? • Moosehuntinggeneratesover$500millionineconomicactivityannuallyandprovideslarge amountsoffoodforaboriginalandotherruralpeople. • Mooseareamajorelementinthecomplexofwildlifeattractionsthatdrawvisitorstoparksand otherwildlandstoviewandstudynature. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 10 4 INDEPENDENTSTUDY • OIW:THEWOODLANDCARIBOU Populationsmustbekeptwithinthelimitssetbytheirfoodsupplytopreventstarvation,disease, andseriousdamagetovegetation.Forestersinareasthatareoverpopulatedbymoosefindthat theregenerationofforesttreesisharmedsignificantly.Thismayseriouslyreducefuturetimber cropsaswellasthebreedinghabitatofsongbirdsthatnestindeciduousshrubs. 7.Howdopeopleaffectthem? • Mooserespondwelltomanagementoftheirhabitatbyloggingorcontrolledburningifthese activitiesmaintainadiversityofopenareasandpatchesoflargertreesforcover.Caribouhave lostprobablymorethanhalftheirrangenowinOntario,they'vebeenpushedthatfarnorth. • Moosehaveadaptedwelltohumanactivities,andwithappropriatemanagement,theywillalways bepartoftheCanadianscene. 8.WhatistheirrelationshiptoAboriginalpeople? • ForthousandsofyearsAboriginalpeoplelivedwithmooseandhuntedthemforfood,clothing andthemakingoftoolsetc. 9.Aretheirnumbersincreasingordecreasing?Why • MoosepopulationsarenotatriskinCanada • Moosepopulationnumbersfluctuateinrelationtofoodavailability,disease,huntingpressure. • Wherepredationandhuntingarelimited,moosenumbersmayincreasetothepointwherefoodis inadequate.Undertheseconditions,manyanimalsstarvewhileallaremalnourishedandmore likelytobekilledbypredatorsordisease. 10.Whatconservationeffortsarebeingdone?Whattechniquesdoscientistsuse? • TheMinistryofNaturalResourcesandForestry(MNRF)tracksmoosepopulationtrendsthrough: • winteraerialinventorysurveys • huntersuccessrates • estimatedtrendsinotherfactors,suchaswinterticksandbrainworm • Thecombinedresultsofthesemeasurementsareusedtosetthenumberofadultmoosetags availabletohuntersintheannualmoosedraw. • MNRFtrackingofmoosepopulationtrendshasalsocenteredonevaluatingarangeof environmentalfactorsandtheirlong-termeffectsonmoose.Thisincludeslookingathowclimate changemaybechangingtheinterplayofelementswithinecologicalsystemsincludingweather, habitatandtheprevalenceofparasitesanddiseases. • Theministryusesmodelingaswellasresearchandmonitoringprojectstoassesstheimpactofthe widerangeoffactorsthatareputtingpressureonmoose. OurIncredibleWorldInc.o/aPinegroveProductions©2016 11