Insular and disjunct distribution of the Arctic wolf in Greenland, 1978–1998

Abstract

Little research has been conducted on the spatial and temporal distribution of wolves in the High Arctic, and the processes
that influence distributional patterns are not well understood. The present study addressed this information void in north
and east Greenland by determining bi-seasonal distribution patterns and core areas based upon 303 sightings of wolves or their
tracks during 1978–1998. The data suggested that this wolf population were predominantly distributed in semi-isolated patches
in an insular and disjunct distribution. Evidence of wolf occurrence in some areas was so irregular that wolves should be
considered absent in most years. Where such areas were clustered over several hundreds of kilometers, they collectively constituted
areas of general wolf absence that could be considered gaps in distribution. There was no evidence that this population functioned
in a mosaic of closely, interlocking pack territories similar to those reported in lower latitudes. The observed distributional
pattern likely reflected the exceptionally impoverished and fragmented polar desert and semi-desert habitat that compelled
wolves to adopt differing spatial distribution patterns relative to wolves in temperate areas. The broader scientific significance
of this study is that, even in the most remote, vast, and uninhabited regions, it is possible to produce meaningful results
on distributional patterns of rare, terrestrial carnivores that can serve as foundation for the next generation of testable
hypotheses.

KeywordsArctic wolf–
Canis lupus arctos
–Distribution–Greenland