Mountain Goats: Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation of an Alpine Ungulate
by Marco Festa-Bianchet and Steeve D. Côté
Island Press, 2007 eISBN: 978-1-59726-773-1 | Cloth: 978-1-59726-170-8 | Paper: 978-1-59726-171-5 Library of Congress Classification QL737.U53F48 2008 Dewey Decimal Classification 639.9796475
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Mountain goats have been among the least studied of North American ungulates, leaving wildlife managers with little information on which to base harvest strategies or conservation plans.
This book offers the first comprehensive assessment of the ecology and behavior of mountain goats, setting forth the results of a remarkable 16-year longitudinal study of more than 300 marked individuals in a population in Alberta, Canada. The authors’ thorough, long-term study allowed them to draw important conclusions about mountain goat ecology—including individual reproductive strategies, population dynamics, and sensitivity to human disturbance—and to use those conclusions in offering guidance for developing effective conservation strategies.
Chapters examine:
-habitat use, vegetation quality, and seasonal movements
-sexual segregation and social organization
-individual variability in yearly and lifetime reproductive success of females
-age- and sex-specific survival and dispersal
-reproductive strategies and population dynamics
-management and conservation of mountain goats
The book also draws on the rich literature on long-term monitoring of marked ungulates to explore similarities and differences between mountain goats and other species, particularly bighorn sheep and ibex.
By monitoring a marked population over a long period of time, researchers were able to document changes in sex-age structure and identify factors driving population dynamics. Because it explores the links between individual life-history strategy and population dynamics in a natural setting, Mountain Goats will be an invaluable resource for wildlife managers, researchers in ecology and animal behavior, conservationists, population biologists, and anyone concerned with the ecology and management of natural populations, especially in alpine environments.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Marco Festa-Bianchet is professor of ecology at the Université de Sherbrooke, in Sherbrooke, Quebec. His research links individual reproductive strategies with
population dynamics and conservation.
Steeve D. Côté is associate professor of animal ecology at Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec. His research interests include behavioral ecology of large herbivores, evolution of life-history strategies, wildlife management, conservation biology, and population genetics.
REVIEWS
"Many projects anxiously tout their own achievement; others move along— steadfast, earnest, and with modesty. The goat project by Festa-Bianchet and Côté typifies the latter, with a critical exception—its achievements are anything but modest. A delightful blend of behavioral ecology, wildlife management, and conservation, this sixteen-year effort offers a rich body of knowledge. It is also a must-read for anything interested in field biology and its application to conservation, especially for one of the world's most difficult-to-study large mammals."
— Joel Berger, senior scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society
"Mountain goats at Caw Ridge are the focus of a long-term study that provides remarkable insights into the evolutionary ecology and population biology of a wild mammal. These insights are eloquently described here by two researchers who have pioneered the study of wild vertebrate populations. Mountain Goats presents important new analyses and brings together results from the many journal articles inspired by this study."
— Tim Coulson, Division of Biology, Imperial College London
"Marco Festa-Bianchet and Steeve Côté have spent years studying mountain goats, an enigmatic North American ungulate that is neither goat nor sheep. Their findings on social behavior, reproductive success, population dynamics, and predation are fundamental to devising conservation strategies that will protect a species under increasing stress from human encroachment. This is an important book, a profound contribution to the literature of alpine ungulates."
— Tony Sinclair, Professor of zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
"An invaluable source for ecologists and wildlife conservationists...highly recommended."
— Midwest Book Review
"Information is presented in a way that will be accessible to all...Overall, Mountain Goats is an excellent progress report on an important project that should continue to provide great insights into this remarkable animal. As such, the volume should be of great interest to a wide audience."
— Quarterly Review of Biology
"I tremendously enjoyed reading this book. It is very well written and organized, and as such is easily accessible...(it) deserves and should find a much wider readership than simply people interested in mountain goats."
— Ecology
"I found this book to be quite readable...It certainly will be of interest to wildlife managers, biologists, and even conservation biologists in any geographical area."
— Natural Areas Journal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Ecological Questions, Conservation Challenges, and Long-Term Research
Chapter 2. The Study Area and the Goat Population
Chapter 3. Caw Ridge Study Methods and Limitations
Chapter 4. Home Range, Forage Availability,and Habitat Use
Chapter 5. Social Organization
Chapter 6. Body and Horn Growth
Chapter 7. Individual Variability in Yearly and Lifetime Reproductive Success of Females
Chapter 8. Female Reproductive Strategy
Chapter 9. Survival and Dispersal
Chapter 10. Density-Dependence and the Question of Population Regulation
Chapter 11. Female Reproductive Strategy and Ungulate Population Dynamics
Chapter 12. Management and Conservation of Mountain Goats
Chapter 13. Long-Term Monitoring of Marked Individuals and Advances in Ecology and Conservation
Appendix Literature Cited
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Mountain Goats: Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation of an Alpine Ungulate
by Marco Festa-Bianchet and Steeve D. Côté
Island Press, 2007 eISBN: 978-1-59726-773-1 Cloth: 978-1-59726-170-8 Paper: 978-1-59726-171-5
Mountain goats have been among the least studied of North American ungulates, leaving wildlife managers with little information on which to base harvest strategies or conservation plans.
This book offers the first comprehensive assessment of the ecology and behavior of mountain goats, setting forth the results of a remarkable 16-year longitudinal study of more than 300 marked individuals in a population in Alberta, Canada. The authors’ thorough, long-term study allowed them to draw important conclusions about mountain goat ecology—including individual reproductive strategies, population dynamics, and sensitivity to human disturbance—and to use those conclusions in offering guidance for developing effective conservation strategies.
Chapters examine:
-habitat use, vegetation quality, and seasonal movements
-sexual segregation and social organization
-individual variability in yearly and lifetime reproductive success of females
-age- and sex-specific survival and dispersal
-reproductive strategies and population dynamics
-management and conservation of mountain goats
The book also draws on the rich literature on long-term monitoring of marked ungulates to explore similarities and differences between mountain goats and other species, particularly bighorn sheep and ibex.
By monitoring a marked population over a long period of time, researchers were able to document changes in sex-age structure and identify factors driving population dynamics. Because it explores the links between individual life-history strategy and population dynamics in a natural setting, Mountain Goats will be an invaluable resource for wildlife managers, researchers in ecology and animal behavior, conservationists, population biologists, and anyone concerned with the ecology and management of natural populations, especially in alpine environments.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Marco Festa-Bianchet is professor of ecology at the Université de Sherbrooke, in Sherbrooke, Quebec. His research links individual reproductive strategies with
population dynamics and conservation.
Steeve D. Côté is associate professor of animal ecology at Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec. His research interests include behavioral ecology of large herbivores, evolution of life-history strategies, wildlife management, conservation biology, and population genetics.
REVIEWS
"Many projects anxiously tout their own achievement; others move along— steadfast, earnest, and with modesty. The goat project by Festa-Bianchet and Côté typifies the latter, with a critical exception—its achievements are anything but modest. A delightful blend of behavioral ecology, wildlife management, and conservation, this sixteen-year effort offers a rich body of knowledge. It is also a must-read for anything interested in field biology and its application to conservation, especially for one of the world's most difficult-to-study large mammals."
— Joel Berger, senior scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society
"Mountain goats at Caw Ridge are the focus of a long-term study that provides remarkable insights into the evolutionary ecology and population biology of a wild mammal. These insights are eloquently described here by two researchers who have pioneered the study of wild vertebrate populations. Mountain Goats presents important new analyses and brings together results from the many journal articles inspired by this study."
— Tim Coulson, Division of Biology, Imperial College London
"Marco Festa-Bianchet and Steeve Côté have spent years studying mountain goats, an enigmatic North American ungulate that is neither goat nor sheep. Their findings on social behavior, reproductive success, population dynamics, and predation are fundamental to devising conservation strategies that will protect a species under increasing stress from human encroachment. This is an important book, a profound contribution to the literature of alpine ungulates."
— Tony Sinclair, Professor of zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
"An invaluable source for ecologists and wildlife conservationists...highly recommended."
— Midwest Book Review
"Information is presented in a way that will be accessible to all...Overall, Mountain Goats is an excellent progress report on an important project that should continue to provide great insights into this remarkable animal. As such, the volume should be of great interest to a wide audience."
— Quarterly Review of Biology
"I tremendously enjoyed reading this book. It is very well written and organized, and as such is easily accessible...(it) deserves and should find a much wider readership than simply people interested in mountain goats."
— Ecology
"I found this book to be quite readable...It certainly will be of interest to wildlife managers, biologists, and even conservation biologists in any geographical area."
— Natural Areas Journal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Ecological Questions, Conservation Challenges, and Long-Term Research
Chapter 2. The Study Area and the Goat Population
Chapter 3. Caw Ridge Study Methods and Limitations
Chapter 4. Home Range, Forage Availability,and Habitat Use
Chapter 5. Social Organization
Chapter 6. Body and Horn Growth
Chapter 7. Individual Variability in Yearly and Lifetime Reproductive Success of Females
Chapter 8. Female Reproductive Strategy
Chapter 9. Survival and Dispersal
Chapter 10. Density-Dependence and the Question of Population Regulation
Chapter 11. Female Reproductive Strategy and Ungulate Population Dynamics
Chapter 12. Management and Conservation of Mountain Goats
Chapter 13. Long-Term Monitoring of Marked Individuals and Advances in Ecology and Conservation
Appendix Literature Cited
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE