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How do caribou migrate between Arctic barrens and taiga forests?
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Migration
A herd of common wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migrating across a dusty savanna in Africa. The animal is a keystone species (i.e., a species with a disproportionately large effect on its biological community) in plains and acacia savanna ecosystems from southeastern Africa to central Kenya.
In North American Arctic regions, caribou (Rangifer tarandus) exhibit migratory behavior between the summer barrens and winter taiga forests. During the summer, herds inhabit the barrens, which are relatively flat areas with sparse vegetation.
In July, the animals begin an irregular southward movement toward the taiga, or northern forests. Once in the taiga, they wander freely without a strictly defined directional trend, moving primarily in response to local conditions. As early as late February, the caribou begin their northward journey to return to the barrens. Notably, these migrations follow the same routes from year to year, despite the lack of a rigid pattern during their winter wanderings.1