Abundance and ecology of martens (Martes americana) in Interior Alaska
Dates
Year
2001
Citation
Shults, Bradley Scott, 2001, Abundance and ecology of martens (Martes americana) in Interior Alaska: University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Summary
Summary: "I studied marten (Martes americana) abundance and ecology in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve during 1991-1993. Using a multiple sample, mark-recapture estimator, I estimated marten densities to be 0.69, 0.41, and 0.45 martens/km2 during each August for 1991-1993, respectively. Density estimates were derived with the boundary-strip method to address the edge effect inherent in live-trapping studies. During the study, marten density declined 43% between 1991 and 1992 and remained low during 1993. I hypothesize that a decline in primary prey (i.e., microtine rodents) and increased environmental stress (i.e., cold temperatures and snow cover) contributed significantly to the decline in marten abundance. Using carcassess [...]
Summary
Summary: "I studied marten (Martes americana) abundance and ecology in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve during 1991-1993. Using a multiple sample, mark-recapture estimator, I estimated marten densities to be 0.69, 0.41, and 0.45 martens/km2 during each August for 1991-1993, respectively. Density estimates were derived with the boundary-strip method to address the edge effect inherent in live-trapping studies. During the study, marten density declined 43% between 1991 and 1992 and remained low during 1993. I hypothesize that a decline in primary prey (i.e., microtine rodents) and increased environmental stress (i.e., cold temperatures and snow cover) contributed significantly to the decline in marten abundance. Using carcassess provided by trappers, I documented that female martens had lower ovulation rates and overall fecundity during winter 1991-1992, and as a result of low recruitment during summer 1992, the number of martens harvested by trappers decreased 85% during the 1992-93 trapping season"
