Behavioural Strategies Adopted by Caribou in a Highly Industrialized Albertan Landscape

This study investigated the behavioural mechanisms driving winter habitat selection of boreal caribou in the Little Smoky (LSM) region of west-central Alberta, an area heavily impacted by oil, gas, and forestry development. Using a spatially explicit agent-based model (ABM), researchers tested biologically relevant hypotheses about how caribou balance daily energetic needs, reproductive energy requirements, and predation risk. The ABM simulated caribou movements across a virtual winter landscape, where agents made context-dependent decisions to maximize fitness while weighing tradeoffs between foraging and predator avoidance. The model established a behavioural and bio-energetic baseline for understanding caribou habitat selection under industrial disturbance.

Findings showed that caribou adjust their movements even without direct predator presence, incurring additional energetic costs to minimize perceived risks. Daily maintenance and reproductive energy requirements consistently took priority, yet the industrial footprint of LSM was estimated to cause a 17% seasonal energy loss, nearing thresholds for reproductive failure. These results highlight the importance of ensuring caribou have access to sufficient high-quality, functional habitat to offset anti-predator energetic costs. Management should limit new land-use development and prioritize restoration of older industrial features to reduce stress and improve habitat conditions.