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Migration Dates

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Citation

Aikens, E.O., Kauffman, M.J., Merkle, J.A., Dwinnell, S.P.H., Fralick, G.L., and Monteith, K.L., 2017, The greenscape shapes surfing of resource waves in a large migratory herbivore. Ecology Letters, 20: 741-750. U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi:10.5066/F7125RJS.

Summary

The Green Wave Hypothesis posits that herbivore migration manifests in response to waves of spring green-up (i.e., green-wave surfing). Nonetheless, empirical support for the Green Wave Hypothesis is mixed, and a framework for understanding variation in surfing is lacking. In a population of migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 31% surfed plant phenology in spring as well as a theoretically perfect surfer, and 98% surfed better than random. Green-wave surfing varied among individuals, and was unrelated to age or energetic state. Instead, the greenscape, which we define as the order, rate, and duration of green-up along migratory routes, was the primary factor influencing surfing. Our results indicate that migratory routes are [...]

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Aikens_etal_2017_migration_dates.csv 7.38 KB text/csv

Purpose

This file contains the start and end of spring migration for each animal in each year. This information was used to delineate the migration period for each animal-year.

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  • National CASC
  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers

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