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Spatial dynamics of Norwegian tetraonid populations

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Ecological Research

Abstract

Different species in a given site or population of a given species in different sites may fluctuate in synchrony if they are affected similarly by factors such as spatially autocorrelated climate, predation, or by dispersal between populations of one species. We used county wise time series of hunting bag records of four Norwegian tetraonid species covering 24 years to examine patterns of interspecific and intraspecific synchrony. We estimated synchrony at three spatial scales; national, regional (consisting of counties with similar climate), and county level. Ecologically related species with overlapping distributions exhibited strong synchrony across Norway, but there was much variation between the different regions and counties. Regions with a long coastline to both the North Sea and the Norwegian Ocean exhibited an overall stronger synchrony than those consisting of more continental areas. Intraspecific synchrony was generally low across all counties, but stronger synchrony between counties within regions defined by climatic conditions. Synchrony was negatively related to distance between populations in three of four species. Only the synchrony in willow ptarmigan showed a clear negative relationship with distance, while the other species had both strong positive and negative correlations at short distances. Strong interspecific synchrony between some species pairs within regions and weak intraspecific synchrony across counties within regions suggest a stronger synchronizing effect from environmental factors such as weather or predation and less effect from dispersal. Our results suggest that the complete tetraonid community is structured by environmental factors affecting the different species similarly and causes widespread interspecific synchrony. Local factors affecting the population dynamics nevertheless frequently forces neighbouring populations out of phase.

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Acknowledgments

This work was carried out as a M.Sc. project by MAJK. Additional funding was received from the Norwegian Research Council. We are grateful to all grouse hunters who have reported their hunting bag data over the last 20 years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University College, Evenstad, 2480, Koppang, Norway

    Mikkel A. J. Kvasnes, Torstein Storaas, Hans Chr. Pedersen, Svein Bjørk & Erlend B. Nilsen

  2. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485, Trondheim, Norway

    Hans Chr. Pedersen & Erlend B. Nilsen

Authors
  1. Mikkel A. J. Kvasnes
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  2. Torstein Storaas
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  3. Hans Chr. Pedersen
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  4. Svein Bjørk
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  5. Erlend B. Nilsen
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Correspondence to Erlend B. Nilsen.

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Kvasnes, M.A.J., Storaas, T., Pedersen, H.C. et al. Spatial dynamics of Norwegian tetraonid populations. Ecol Res 25, 367–374 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-009-0665-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-009-0665-7

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