Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in a resource development area at the northern edge of the species’ range by Joël Potié Department of Natural Resource Sciences McGill University, Macdonald Campus Montréal, Québec April 2020 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science © Joël Potié 2020 i Table of Contents ABSRACT .................................................................................................................................................. iv RÉSUMÉ ..................................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... x PREFACE AND CONTRIBUTION OF AUTHORS: ........................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................... 1 SHARP-TAILED GROUSE ECOLOGY ............................................................................................. 2 STGR in Yukon and Alaska ................................................................................................................... 3 Threats Across the Species Range ........................................................................................................ 5 Placer Mining in the Klondike Goldfields ............................................................................................ 7 RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................... 9 RESEARCH APPROACH AND THESIS ORGANIZATION ........................................................... 9 LITERATURE CITED ........................................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 2: Reproductive chronology, brood rearing success, and hen survival in a sharp-tailed grouse population at the northern edge of the species range. ............................................................... 17 2.1 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 19 2.3 STUDY AREA ................................................................................................................................. 22 2.4 METHODS ...................................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.1 Field Techniques ...................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.2 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 27 2.5 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ 35 2.5.1 Lek Attendance and Captures ................................................................................................ 35 2.5.2 Nest Initiation ........................................................................................................................... 36 2.5.3 Clutch Size ................................................................................................................................ 36 2.5.4 Nest Success .............................................................................................................................. 36 2.5.5 Brood Success ........................................................................................................................... 40 2.5.6 Hen Survival ............................................................................................................................. 43 2.6 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................. 45 2.7 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................................. 50 2.8 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................. 52 ii 2.9 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................. 60 LINKING STATEMENT ......................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 3: The habitat use and selection of nesting and brood-rearing sharp-tailed grouse in Yukon’s Klondike Goldfields ................................................................................................................... 67 3.1 ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................... 68 3.2 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 69 3.3 STUDY AREA ................................................................................................................................. 72 3.4 METHODS ...................................................................................................................................... 72 3.4.1 Field Techniques ...................................................................................................................... 72 3.4.2 Vegetation and Habitat Data Collection ................................................................................ 74 3.4.3 Statistical Analyses ................................................................................................................... 77 3.5 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ 84 3.5.1 Nest Site Habitat Use ............................................................................................................... 84 3.5.2 Brood Habitat Use .................................................................................................................... 88 3.6 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................. 90 3.7 MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS ............................................................................................. 93 3.8 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................. 95 3.9 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................... 102 CHAPTER 4. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................ 108 LITERATURE CITED ...................................................................................................................... 111 iii 1 ABSRACT 2 The reproductive phenology and habitat requirements of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus 3 phasianellus) are not well understood. Northern populations of sharp-tailed grouse (STGR) 4 belonging to the Tympanuchus phasianellus caurus subspecies are particularly under-studied. 5 Although the caurus subspecies is thought to be stable, beyond anecdotal sightings, little is 6 known regarding STGR status or habitat requirements and tolerance to disturbance in the 7 northern parts of its range. The present study focuses on a STGR population located in North- 8 Central Yukon in and around the Klondike Goldfields. Female STGR were fitted with radio 9 transmitters and monitored during the reproductive period over three study years (2015-2017) to 10 quantify habitat use around identified lek sites during the nesting and brood-rearing periods, 11 analyze the habitat selection of nesting and brood-rearing hens, and assess habitat effects on 12 hatching and fledging success. Among 41 radio-collared hens, nearly all attempted to nest 13 (96.4% ± 2.5) and clutch size averaged 8.3 ± 2.1. Overall apparent nest success for all nests was 14 76.4% ± 1.9 (n = 39). Nest sites were situated where a shrub layer provided vertical cover and 15 abundant bunchgrass understory provided horizontal cover. Survival was higher for early 16 hatching nests in sites with fewer hummocks than later hatch nests with many hummocks. Brood 17 rearing hens selected for habitats with mesic vegetation such as scrub birch and sedges, but also 18 showed a preference for sites classified as dry rather than wet. Brood failure occurred less often 19 within low elevation, sloping sites with abundant deadfall cover and more often within sites on 20 south and east facing slopes with less deadfall. During both the nesting and brood rearing 21 periods, hens did not select for shrub dominated sites equally; those with shrubs less than 2m in 22 height were preferred