This paper reviews and compares the effects of forest fire and timber harvest on mamma- lian abundance and diversity, throughout successional time in the boreal forest of North America. 2. Temporal trends in mammal abundance and diversity are generally similar for both harvested and burned stands, with some differences occurring in the initiation stage (0- 10 years post disturbance). 3. Small mammals and ungulates are most abundant immediately post disturbance, and decrease as stands age. Lynxes and hares utilize mid-successional stands, but are rare in young and old stands. Bats, arboreal sciurids and mustelids increase in abundance with stand age, and are most abundant in old growth. 4. Substantial gaps in the data exist for carnivores; the response of these species to fire and harvest requires research, as predator-prey interactions can affect mammal community struc- ture in both early and late successional stages. 5. The lack of explicit treatment of in-stand forest structure post disturbance, in the reviewed literature made comparisons difficult. Where forest structure was considered, the presence of downed woody material, live residual trees and standing dead wood were shown to facilitate convergence of mammal communities to a pre-disturbance state for both disturbance types. 6. Mammalian assemblages differed considerably between successional stages, emphasizing the importance of maintaining stands of each successional stage on the landscape when implementing forest management strategies.

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The response of mammals to forest fire and timber harvest in the North American boreal forest

Helminths of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Denmark

Canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis is an emerging snail-borne disease causing verminous pneumonia and coagulopathy in dogs. The parasite is found in Europe, North and South America and Africa, covering tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Its distribution has been characterised by isolated endemic foci, with only sporadic occurrences outside these areas. In the last two decades, the literature has been dominated by several case reports and small case series describing sporadic disease in old or new endemic areas. Case reports and experimental studies with high doses of infective third stage larvae may not reflect what happens under field conditions. There is insufficient understanding of the spread of infection and the dynamic consequences of this parasite in the canine population. This review discusses the biology, epidemiology, clinical aspects and management of canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis.

Canine pulmonary angiostrongylosis: An update

We assessed the response of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to land-cover type, predation risk, energetic costs of movement, and patch configuration at multiple spatial scales. We applied a nonlinear model to frequent locations collected with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars to identify discontinuities in the scales of movement by caribou found in forested and alpine (above tree line) habitats. We differ- entiated intra- from interpatch movements and identified collections of patches (multiple- patch scale) where caribou concentrated intrapatch movements. On average, intra- and interpatch movements were 450.7 and 1268.8 m, respectively, and multiple-patch move- ments occurred over an area of 182 ha. Intrapatch movements were highly correlated, indicative of a strong relationship between behavior and place. Caribou in the forest selected patches of Pine terrace, whereas caribou in the alpine selected patches of Alpine-little vegetative cover. Predation risk was not a factor influencing movements of caribou at the intrapatch scale. Selection of cover types was more variable during interpatch movements. At that scale, caribou selected patches of Pine terrace, Lakes/rivers, Alpine-little vegetative cover, and Alpine-grass. The routes selected by caribou had lower energetic costs relative to surrounding terrain, and during some winters, caribou were subjected to higher levels of predation risk during those movements. At the multiple-patch scale, selection was more specific and encompassed patches of Alpine-little vegetative cover, Alpine-grass, and Pine terrace. Predation risk was relatively unimportant at the multi-patch scale, but animals that moved from forested to alpine habitats reduced their relative risk of predation. Patch con- figuration was a poor predictor of those areas where caribou concentrated intrapatch move- ments. There was some evidence of caribou selecting patches of Pine terrace within a matrix of Wetlands and Pine-black spruce/black spruce patches. Caribou in the alpine avoided patches of Alpine-little vegetative cover adjacent to forest types. Our results indicate that forest managers should maintain widely distributed patches of Pine terrace and implement silvicultural regimes that do not stimulate predator populations across areas used for in- terpatch movements.

A multiscale behavioral approach to understanding the movements of woodland caribou

Stand structure, the arrangement and interrelationships of live and dead trees, has been linked to forest regeneration, nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat, and climate regulation. The objective of this review was to synthesize literature on stand structural dynamics of North American boreal forests, addressing both live tree and coarse woody debris (CWD) characteristics under different disturbance mechanisms (fire, clearcut, wind, and spruce budworm), while identifying regional differences based on climate and surficial deposit variability. In fire origin stands, both live tree and CWD attributes are influenced initially largely by the characteristics of the stand replacing fire and later increasingly by autogenic processes. Differences in stand structure have also been observed between various stand cover types. Blowdown and insect outbreaks are two significant non-stand replacing disturbances that can alter forest stand structure through removing canopy trees, freeing up available growing space, and cre...

Stand Structural Dynamics of North American Boreal Forests

Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis infect the pulmonary arteries and airways, respectively, of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Both are widespread in Europe, but within North America, A. vasorum occurs only on the island of Newfoundland. During 2000–2002, 366 red fox carcasses were examined from six regions of Newfoundland for the purpose of determining the distribution of both parasites, effects on the condition of their host, and whether infection with one affects that of the other. Crenosoma vulpis occurred island-wide with a prevalence of 87% and mean (±SE) intensity of 230 ± 20.8. Young-of-the-year red foxes had more C. vulpis (260 ± 39.4) than yearlings (91 ± 31.2) or adults (78 ± 41.1) (χ2 = 25.72, df = 2, p < 0.001), and numbers of adult worm were weakly related to fecal output of first-stage larvae (r2 = 0.20, p < 0.001) but not to host sex or body-fat index. Angiostrongylus vasorum occurred only in southeast Newfoundland where prevalence was 56% and mean intensity was 72 ± 7.6. Its distribu...

Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Newfoundland, Canada

Movements, sex and age structure, and habitat selection of adult woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) were examined in relation to clear-cutting on summer range in east-central Newfoundland during 1987 – 1990. We obtained 2473 locations of 35 radio-collared caribou during at least two consecutive summers. Locations relative to clearcuts were determined for eight males and 27 females. Distances to existing clearcuts were compared with distances to those same geographic points prior to and following the summer in which clear-cutting occurred. Four males and 10 females maintained similar mean distances from clearcuts, 3 males and 12 females were farther away, and 2 females were closer. Three other females and one male were assumed to be too distant to be affected by clear-cutting. Of those found farther away from clearcuts, females were 2 – 3 times farther away than males. Among female caribou that maintained similar mean distances to clearcuts, habitat use during clear-cutting was similar to that be...

Responses of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to clear-cutting in east-central Newfoundland

We evaluated properties of the Petersen mark-resight technique for estimating the population size of 6 woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) herds in Newfoundland. Our objective was to determine the robustness and efficiency of a novel marking technique for estimating population size of caribou where sightability bias is marginal. We marked caribou with pressurized oil-alkyde paint applied from a helicopter. Resighting surveys were conducted 2-3 weeks later. Data from 15 radiocollared animals indicated populations were closed and marks were not lost. The probability of resighting a marked individual was independent of group size, which indicated heterogeneity in sighting probabilities had a marginal effect on the reliability of population estimates. Thus, most of the fundamental assumptions of the Petersen estimate were supported. Although we could not assess accuracy of this method, the degree of precision was dependent primarily on the number of marked animals resighted. Increasing the initial number of marked individuals did not significantly reduce the width of confidence intervals unless the total number of animals resighted also was increased. However, due to the efficiency of marking many animals in a short period, more effort can be allocated to resighting surveys without increasing costs. We believe this technique should provide a cost-effective method for obtaining precise population estimates of woodland caribou and other large mammals where sightability bias is low.

Michael J. McGrath

Papers

Angiostrongylus vasorum and Crenosoma vulpis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Newfoundland, Canada

Responses of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to clear-cutting in east-central Newfoundland

Evaluation of a mark-resighting technique for woodland caribou in Newfoundland