Sask. professor studies how boom in moth population threatens caribou
A University of Saskatchewan (U of S) professor is researching the threats that spruce budworms, a type of moth, has on woodland caribou in Canada.
Associate biology professor Philip McLoughlin says the project started by looking at complex populations involving spruce budworms which are well known in eastern parts of the country.
According to the paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), spruce budworm outbreaks happen every 30 years and have similar effects on disruptions such as logging and forest fires.
The results of the moths killing forests leads to a “flush of vegetation of benefit to moose.” McLoughlin says more moose means more wolves which in turn, will threaten caribou.
Caribou, which live on a diet of lichen, mosses, and grasses, don’t compete directly for resources with moose, which thrive on deciduous vegetation, a news release from U of S said.
But new deciduous growth that comes from the “removal of the forest canopy brings moose to caribou habitat, attracting wolves.”
“It’s possibly not as well known a threat to boreal caribou as perhaps reducing the age of forests because of logging, or in some cases because of fire,” McLoughlin told CTV News.
McLoughlin believes the threat will become more well-known with his research.
The term “trophic cascade” refers to a disturbance at one level of an ecosystem that has an effect further down the system.
For his research, McLoughlin uses the term “bouncing trophic cascade” as the impacts from the spruce budworms are indirect.
“Right now we’re finding connections that we didn't really look for or expect before,” he said.
McLoughlin will be continuing his research and is looking at white tailed deer and how their numbers might be influenced.
The research between the moose, wolves and caribou was magnified by logging that came in after spruce budworms, McLoughlin said.
“This is important because it does speak to the difference and its impact on caribou from what would be a natural disturbance and a disturbance that is human caused like logging.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.