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Demographic consequences of age-structure in extreme environments: population models for arctic and alpine ptarmigan

  • Population Ecology
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Abstract

Organisms living in arctic and alpine environments are increasingly impacted by human activities. To evaluate the potential impacts of global change, a better understanding of the demography of organisms in extreme environments is needed. In this study, we compare the age-specific demography of willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) breeding at arctic and subalpine sites, and white-tailed ptarmigan (L. leucurus) breeding at an alpine site. Rates of egg production improved with age at the alpine and subalpine sites, but the stochastic effects of nest and brood predation led to similar rates of annual fecundity among 1-, 2-, and 3+-year-old females. All populations had short generation times (T<2.7 years) and low net reproductive rates (R 0<1.2). Stable age distributions were weighted towards 1-year-old females in willow ptarmigan (>59%), and to 3+-year-old females in white-tailed ptarmigan (>47%). High damping ratios (ρ>3.2) indicated that asymptotic estimates were likely to match natural age distributions. Sensitivity and elasticity values indicated that changes in juvenile survival would have the greatest impact on the finite rate of population change (λ) in willow ptarmigan, whereas changes to the survival of 3+-year-old females would have a greater effect in white-tailed ptarmigan. High survivorship buffers white-tailed ptarmigan in alpine environments against the potential effects of climate change on annual fecundity, but may make the species more sensitive to the effects of pollutants or harvesting on adult survival. Conversely, processes that reduce annual fecundity would have a greater impact on the population viability of willow ptarmigan in arctic and subalpine environments. If these same demographic patterns prove to be widespread among organisms in extreme environments, it may be possible to develop general recommendations for conservation of the biological resources of arctic and alpine ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many field assistants and graduate students who worked hard to collect 26 years of demographic data under challenging field conditions. C.E. Braun and the Colorado Division of Wildlife provided logistical assistance for the white-tailed ptarmigan population study. The field research was financed by grants to the authors and F. Cooke from the Canadian Circumpolar Institute (NSTG and BAR grants), Canadian Wildlife Service, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Queen’s University, and the Universities of Alberta, British Columbia, Sherbrooke, and Toronto. B.K. Sandercock received financial support from the Killam Foundation at the University of British Columbia and the Division of Biology at Kansas State University during preparation of this article. We thank H.H. Bears, E. Cam, W.R. Clark, J.M. Reid, D.W. Roberts, C. Vleck, S. Wilson, and the two anonymous reviewers for constructive criticism of previous versions of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Brett K. Sandercock

  2. Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Kathy Martin

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada

    Susan J. Hannon

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  1. Brett K. Sandercock
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Correspondence to Brett K. Sandercock.

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Communicated by Carol Vleck

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Sandercock, B.K., Martin, K. & Hannon, S.J. Demographic consequences of age-structure in extreme environments: population models for arctic and alpine ptarmigan. Oecologia 146, 13–24 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0174-5

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