APPLIED RANGE ECOLOGY OF REINDEER (.Rangifer tarandus tarandus) ON THE SEWARD PENINSULA, ALASKA By Gregory L. Finstad RECOMMENDED: Advisory CommiUeeyCo-Ch ai r / / ' ' ‘ ’ Advisoyy Committee CaJCh^r Chair, Department of Plant Sciences Date APPLIED RANGE ECOLOGY OF REINDEER (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) ON THE SEWARD PENINSULA, ALASKA A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By Gregory L. Finstad, B.S. Fairbanks, Alaska May 2008 UMI Number: 3322394 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3322394 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway PO Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT Linking variation of the environment to animal production is key to successful range management. Ecological site descriptions (ESDs) are landscape units used by land managers for the grazing management of domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. This study investigated the appropriateness of using ESDs for the grazing management of reindeer and explored the use of alternate units to link landscape variation to animal production. ESD composition of reindeer ranges varied across the Seward Peninsula, but there was no relationship to either animal production, estimated by June calf weight and cow/calf ratios, or reindeer serum and tissue mineral concentrations. I have shown that reindeer do not graze uniformly across ESDs, but are selective, both temporally and spatially, in what they consume. Reindeer diet selection and animal production appear to be driven by temporal variation in the nutritional characteristics of individual forage species. Biomass production and seasonal nutritional characteristics of forage species were used develop a computerized mapping program for reindeer producers to identify high quality grazing areas. Production among herds was related with identified forage sources of protein in the diet. Reindeer in herds with smaller June calves consumed more catkins, stems and leaf buds of shrubs in May, presumably to compensate for lower protein reserves. Diets of reindeer and June calf weight were significantly predicted by the 615N %c differential between antler core (AC) and antler periosteum (AP). Although animal production was related to landscape stratification at the species level, data showed that weather patterns affected forage nutrient concentration and foraging accessibility at a landscape level. Body weight and growth of female calves and the proportion of yearlings lactating the next summer were positively correlated with spring temperature and negatively correlated with winter severity and summer temperature. Land managers are using ESDs to monitor and assess the impact of grazing, but I have shown that landscape variation described at a multitude of scales other than ESD are linked to grazing patterns and animal production. I concluded that these alternative landscape units be integrated into reindeer range management currently being practiced on the Seward Peninsula. V TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Signature Page...........................................................................................................................i Title Page.................................................................................................................................. ii Abstract.................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents.....................................................................................................................v List of Figures...........................................................................................................................x List of Tables.........................................................................................................................xiv List of Abbreviations and Acronyms.............................................................................. xvii Acknowledgments................................................................................................................ xix Chapter 1: Introduction Rangifer in Alaska....................................................................................................... 1 The Seward Peninsula grazing system.................................................................... 2 Introduction of reindeer herding..............................................................................4 Modern reindeer herding: transition to rangeland management...................... 9 Present day range management of reindeer......................................................... 14 Physical characteristics of the Seward Peninsula grazing system....................22 Climate.............................................................................................................23 Soils..................................................................................................................25 Vegetation ........................................................................................................27 Literature Cited.................................................................................................. 32 vi Page Chapter 2: Nutritional mapping of grazing areas using nutrient and fiber profiles of reindeer forage plants of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska............... 37 Abstract.......................................................................................................................37 Introduction................................................................................................................39 Objectives........................................................................................................ 45 Study Site.................................................................................................................... 45 Methods.......................................................................................................................47 Results..........................................................................................................................51 Discussion....................................................................................................................54 Literature Cited..................................................................................... 61 Figures......................................................................................................................... 65 Tables...........................................................................................................................86 Chapter 3: Influence of regional landscape diversity of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska on diet, tissue and serum mineral values and production of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)............................................................. 97 Abstract....................................................................................................................... 97 Introduction................................................................................................................99 Objectives.......................................................................................................103 Study Site...................................................................................................................103 Methods..................................................................................................................... 107 vii Page Range descriptions ........................................................................................107 Diet composition....................... 108 Serum and tissue sampling...........................................................................110 Animal productivity.......................................................................................I l l Results........................................................................................................................112 Ecological site composition across ranges .................................................112 Diet composition........................................................................................... 113 Spring ................................................................................................ 113 June....................................................................................................113 July.................................................................................................... 114 Fall.................................................................................................... 114 Winter................................................................................................ 114 Serum mineral values..................................................................................