Biological Premises for Management of an Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) Population

摘要

The arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), the only regularly occurring land mammal on Jan Mayen Island is now extinct. Fox colonization may have been transient and a reduced presence of sea ice now prevents further immigration. The small size of the island's fox population and former heavy selective trapping may be responsible for the demise of the fox. Reduced mating encounters and low availability of winter food may have reduced reproduction with environmental pollution having an additional adverse impact. Periodic presence of domestic dogs may have disturbed dens and introduced diseases. The re-establishment of the arctic fox population on Jan Mayen may be questioned, since the fox may not be part of permanent fauna. What makes the island ecosystem unique for scientific research is that it may be periodically void of land mammals.