Intraseasonal variations in the spatial behaviour of an Arctic predator.

Abstract

Background: In highly constrained ecosystems such as in the Arctic, animals must constantly adjust their movements to cope with the highly versatile environmental conditions. However, to date most studies have focused on interseasonal differences in spatial behaviour, while intraseasonal dynamics are less described.

Methods: To fill this knowledge gap, we studied the movement patterns of an Arctic predator, the arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) at the intraseasonal scale. To unravel temporal patterns in space use and movement metrics, we used GPS data collected on 20 individual foxes between 2017 and 2023 in North-East Greenland.

Results: We showed that weekly full and core home range sizes (estimated by means of Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimates), and daily mean relative turning angles stayed constant throughout the summer. Conversely, daily distance travelled, mean daily speed and daily proportion of 'active' time showed intraseasonal variations. These fine-scale metrics had a hump-shaped distribution, peaking in mid-July, with males and non-breeding foxes travelling longer distances and being faster. Site-specific patterns were also identified, with foxes having smaller territories in the two most productive sites but moving shorter distances and at lower speeds at the poorest site.

Conclusion: Our study provides novel insights into how predators adjust their space use and behaviour to intraseasonal variations in environmental conditions. Specifically, we show that different movement metrics show different intraseasonal patterns. We also underline the importance of considering small spatiotemporal scales to fully understand predators' spatial behaviour.