Image
Ecology and Vulnerability
Canada Lynx
Photo Credit: Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Scientific name
Lynx canadensis
Profile: Canada Lynx ▾▸
Shifts in Range, Elevation, or Depth
In Ontario, Canada, Canada Lynx shifted their range over 175 km north between 1972 and 2010 (Koen et al., 2014). Due to a projected decline in snowpack in the...
Shifts in Range, Elevation, or Depth
In Ontario, Canada, Canada Lynx shifted their range over 175 km north between 1972 and 2010 (Koen et al., 2014). Due to a projected decline in snowpack in the northeastern US, increasing competition with Bobcats (Lynx rufus) may lead to further population declines along the southern edges of the Canada Lynx range and a more northerly and eastern shift into the future (Peers et al., 2013, Sirén et al., 2021), which is similar to model predictions of their future distribution in the Northeast (Peers et al., 2014, Sirén et al., 2022). Similar losses along the southern edge of their range are projected in Washington State (King et al., 2020) and the northern Rocky Mountains (McKelvey and Buotte 2018).
Indirect Effects
Due to a correlation between a gradient of snow and precipitation and the genetic structure of the Canada Lynx, there are dispersal limitations among subpopulations due to habitat imprinting, which may lead to increasingly isolated populations by 2070 (Row et al., 2014). A resulting loss in genetic diversity may further reduce the Lynx’s ability to adapt to changing conditions along the southern part of their range (Koen et al., 2014).
References
Koen, E. L., Bowman, J., Murray, D. L., & Wilson, P. J. (2014). Climate change reduces genetic diversity of Canada lynx at the trailing range edge. Ecography, 37(8), 754-762.
Peers, M. J. L., Thornton, D. H., & Murray, D. L. 2013. Evidence for large-scale effects of competition: Niche displacement in Canada lynx and bobcat. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 280(1773), 20132495. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2495
Peers, M.J., Wehtje, M., Thornton, D.H. and Murray, D.L., 2014. Prey switching as a means of enhancing persistence in predators at the trailing southern edge. Global change biology, 20(4), pp.1126-1135.
Sirén, A. P. K.; Sutherland, Christopher S.; Bernier, Christopher A.; Royar, Kimberly J.; Kilborn, Jillian R.; Callahan, Catherine B.; Cliche, Rachel M.; Prout, Leighlan S.; Morelli, Toni Lyn. 2021. Abiotic stress and biotic factors mediate range dynamics on opposing edges Journal of Biogeography. 48:7 10.1111/jbi.14112
King, T.W., Vynne, C., Miller, D., Fisher, S., Fitkin, S., Rohrer, J., Ransom, J.I. and Thornton, D., 2020. Will lynx lose their edge? Canada lynx occupancy in Washington. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 84(4), pp.705-725.
McKelvey, K. S., & Buotte, P. C. 2017. Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife in the Northern Rockies. Climate Change and Rocky Mountain Ecosystems, 143–167. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-56928-4_8
Row, Jeffrey R.; Wilson, Paul J.; Gomez, Celine; Koen, Erin L.; Bowman, Jeff; Thornton, Daniel; Murray, Dennis L. 2014. The subtle role of climate change on population genetic structure in Canada lynx. Global Change Biology. 20(7): 2076-2086 10.1111/gcb.12526