Evidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou

Large-scale animal migrations influence population and community dynamics along with ecosystem functioning. The migratory coupling concept posits that movement of migrant prey can lead to large-scale movements of predators. In northern ecosystems, spatial patterns and behavioral responses of grey wolf to spatio-temporal changes in its primary prey distribution, the migratory caribou, remain poorly documented. We used a long-term GPS dataset (2011–2021) of 59 wolves and 431 migratory caribou from the declining Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (Québec, Canada) to investigate movement patterns and space use of wolves related to caribou seasonal distribution. Wolves home ranges overlapped with areas used by caribou year-round, especially in May and winter. Wolves exhibited 3 annual tactics: sedentary (17%), long-distance migration (>700 km) between wintering areas and the tundra (36%), and a medium-distance migration, stopping their northward movement near the treeline (47%). Migratory wolves s...