Data from: Movement tactics of a mobile predator in a meta-ecosystem with fluctuating resources: the arctic fox in the High Arctic

Animal movement is a fundamental process shaping ecosystems at multiple
levels, from the fate of individuals to global patterns of biodiversity.
The spatio-temporal dynamic of food resources is a major driver of animal
movement and generates patterns ranging from range residency to migration
and nomadism. Arctic tundra predators face a strongly fluctuating
environment marked by cyclic microtine populations, high seasonality, and
the potential availability of sea ice, which gives access to marine
resources in winter. This type of relatively poor and highly variable
environment can promote long-distance movements and resource tracking in
mobile species. Here, we investigated the winter movements of the arctic
fox, a major tundra predator often described as a seasonal migrant or
nomad. We used six years of Argos satellite telemetry data collected on 66
adults from Bylot Island (Nunavut, Canada) tracked during the sea ice
period. We hypothesized that long-distance movements would be influenced
by spatio-temporal changes in resource availability and individual
characteristics. Despite strong annual and seasonal changes in resource
abundance and distribution, we found that a majority of individuals
remained resident, especially those located in an area characterized by
highly predictable pulse resources (goose nesting colony) and abundant
cached food items (eggs). Foxes compensated terrestrial food shortage by
commuting to the sea ice rather than using long-distance tracking or
moving completely onto the sea ice for winter. Individual characteristics
also influenced movement patterns: age positively influenced the
propensity to engage in nomadism, suggesting older foxes may be driven out
of their territories. Our results show how these mammalian predators can
adjust their movement patterns to favor range residency despite strong
spatio-temporal fluctuations in food resources. Understanding the movement
responses of predators to prey dynamics helps identifying the scales at
which they work, which is a critical aspect of the functioning and
connectivity among meta-ecosystems.