Over its decade-plus of operations, the ABMI has generated a comprehensive dataset on Alberta’s species, their habitats, and the extent and type of human footprint across the province. With this information, the ABMI has developed analyses to predict species' relative abundances and examine species' responses to vegetation and soil types, as well as human footprint in Alberta. These methods have been applied to hundreds of species; this profile provides summary results for one.
Moose are generalist browsers of woody deciduous shrubs and use a wide variety of open habitats in the summer for foraging, such as burns, harvested areas, riparian areas, and shrublands. These habitats are often in close proximity to forest edges or water to minimize heat stress. Moose also frequent wetlands and lake margins where they forage for salt-rich, submerged vegetation. In the winter, mature/old forests with good snow interception interspersed with open areas with extensive shrub growth jointly provide bedding sites, thermal cover, security cover and foraging habitat.
Forested Region - Species Habitat Association Graph: Predicted species relative abundance (bars) as a function of vegetation and human footprint type in the forested region. Dots are added to forest types where harvesting occurs and show the predicted species abundance in cutblocks of various ages. Vertical lines represent 90% confidence intervals.
Prairie Region - Species Habitat Association Graph: Predicted species relative abundance (bars) in each soil type and human footprint type in the prairie region. Vertical lines indicate 90% confidence intervals. The presence/absence of trees greatly affects the presence and abundance of many species; therefore, separate figures are presented for treed and non-treed sites in the prairie region.
Linear Footprint Graph: Species relative abundance predicted for habitat with no human footprint compared to habitat in which 10% of the area is converted to either soft or hard linear footprint.
Linear Footprint Graph: Species relative abundance predicted for habitat with no human footprint compared to habitat in which 10% of the area is converted to either soft or hard linear footprint.
Moose preference for early successional habitat for foraging, and their use of forest edges means that they are positively impacted by development activites that create these habitats, such as forest harvesting.
Sector effect graph: Changes to species relative abundance (number above or below bar) attributed to the footprint of five sectors: agriculture, forestry, energy, rural/urban footprint, and transportation. The y-axis shows the percent population change per unit area of the sector's footprint. The x-axis shows the total area occupied by each sector's footprint in the region. The areas of the sector-specific rectangle (equal to the unit effect multiplied by the area of footprint) is the total effect of the sector on the species relative abundance in the region.
Sector effect graph: Changes to species relative abundance (number above or below bar) attributed to the footprint of five sectors: agriculture, forestry, energy, rural/urban footprint, and transportation. The y-axis shows the percent population change per unit area of the sector's footprint. The x-axis shows the total area occupied by each sector's footprint in the region. The areas of the sector-specific rectangle (equal to the unit effect multiplied by the area of footprint) is the total effect of the sector on the species relative abundance in the region.
Moose are found throughout Alberta but are most common in the Boreal Forest and Foothills Natural Regions.
Alberta Environment and Parks. 2016. Moose http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/human-wildlife-conflict/moose.aspx Accessed September 17, 2016.
Belovsky, G. E. 1981. Food plant selection by a generalist herbivore: the moose. Ecology 62(4):1020-1030.
Neumann, W., G. Ericsson, H. Dettki, and V. C. Radeloff. 2013. Behavioural response to infrastructure of wildlife adapted to natural disturbances. Landscape and Urban Planning 114:9-27.
Pattie, D. and C. Fisher. 1999. Mammals of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing, Edmonton, AB.
Data collected by ABMI.
Photos: TBD
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. 2019. Moose (Alces alces). ABMI Website: abmi.ca/home/data-analytics/biobrowser-home/species-profile?tsn=180703.
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. 2016. ABMI Species Website Manual, Version: 2016-12-02. Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Alberta, Canada. Report available at: abmi.ca.
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. 2014. Manual for Species Modeling and Intactness, Version 2014-09-25. Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Alberta, Canada. Report available at: abmi.ca.
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute. 2014. Terrestrial field data collection protocols (abridged version) 2016-05-18. Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Alberta, Canada. Report available at: abmi.ca.
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