Spatial Ecology And Recolonization Dynamics Of Moose In New York And Northeastern North America

Abstract

The distribution of moose has expanded across northeastern North America over the past half century, with moose colonizing New York in 1980. However, some moose populations across this area seem to have undergone recent declines that may be a result of high parasite incidence, a warming climate, and inadequate habitat. Yet, little is known about the population structure of moose across northeastern North America or the status of moose within New York. To begin to understand these topics we employed citizen science and opportunistic sampling approaches across large spatial extents to estimate the population genetic structure of moose across northeastern North America and the distribution of moose in New York. Results from our work can provide meaningful spatial references regarding where moose are most likely to occur and how their populations are structured to inform moose conservation and management.