Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs.

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Metadata:

• Identification_Information
• Data_Quality_Information
• Spatial_Reference_Information
• Distribution_Information
• Metadata_Reference_Information

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: David L. Mech

Publication_Date: 1999

Title: Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs.

Edition: Version 16MAY2000

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form:

Series_Information:

Series_Name:

Issue_Identification:

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: Jamestown, North Dakota

Publisher: USGS, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Other_Citation_Details:

Online_Linkage: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/mammals/alstat/index.htm

Description:

Abstract:

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the "alpha" pair, the alpha male and the alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves on Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. I conclude that the typical wolf pack is a family, with the adult parents guiding the activities of the group in a division-of-labor system in which the female predominates primarily in such activities as pup care and defense and the male primarily during foraging and food-provisioning and the travels associated with them.

Purpose:

Not Available

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: Mech, L. David. 1999. Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203.

Supplemental_Information:

REFERENCE: "http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/alstat/ref.htm"

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Range_of_Dates/Times:

Beginning_Date: 19860101

Ending_Date: 19981231

Currentness_Reference:Unknown

Status:

Progress: Complete

Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: -145.27

East_Bounding_Coordinate: -48.11

North_Bounding_Coordinate: 87.61

South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.3

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD SCIENCE PARAMETERS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ANCILLARY KEYWORDS

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO TOPIC CATEGORY

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: DATA SET LANGUAGE

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CARNIVORES > DOGS/FOXES/WOLVES > WOLVES

Theme_Keyword: EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > COMMUNITY DYNAMICS > SPECIES DOMINANCE INDICES > WOLVES

Theme_Keyword: Alpha Status

Theme_Keyword: Dominance

Theme_Keyword: Division Of Labor

Theme_Keyword: Wolf Packs

Theme_Keyword: BIOTA

Theme_Keyword: ENGLISH

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: GCMD

Place_Keyword: CONTINENT > NORTH AMERICA > CANADA > NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

None

Point_of_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: L. DAVID MECH

Contact_Position: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: North Central Research Station

Address: 1992 Folwell Ave.

City: St. Paul

State_or_Province: Minnesota

Postal_Code: 55108

Country: USA

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: mechx002@tc.umn.edu

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Attribute_Accuracy_Report:

Not Available

Logical_Consistency_Report:

Not Available

Completeness_Report:

Not Available

Lineage:

Process_Step:

Process_Description:

Not Available

Process_Date: Unknown

Spatial_Reference_Information:

Distribution_Information:

Distributor:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Organization_Primary:

Contact_Organization: DOI/USGS/BRD/NPWRC > Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior

Contact_Person: TOM SKLEBAR

Contact_Position: DATA CENTER CONTACT

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: 8711 37th Street, S.E.

City: Jamestown

State_or_Province: North Dakota

Postal_Code: 58401

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 701-253-5500

Contact_Voice_Telephone: 701-253-5554

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 701-253-5553

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: tom_sklebar@usgs.gov

Resource_Description: usgs_npwrc_alpha

Distribution_Liability:

Not Available

Standard_Order_Process:

Digital_Form:

Digital_Transfer_Information:

Format_Name: zip

Transfer_Size: 26 K bytes

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

Computer_Contact_Information:

Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/

Access_Instructions:

DATA CENTER URL

Digital_Transfer_Option:

Online_Option:

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Network_Address:

Network_Resource_Name:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/zips/alstat.zip

Access_Instructions:

Alpha Status, Dominance and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs data

Fees: None

Metadata_Reference_Information:

Metadata_Date: 20020128

Metadata_Review_Date: 20121212

Metadata_Future_Review_Date: 20030128

Metadata_Contact:

Contact_Information:

Contact_Person_Primary:

Contact_Person: TYLER B. STEVENS

Contact_Position: DIF AUTHOR

Contact_Address:

Address_Type: Mailing and Physical Address

Address: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Address: Global Change Master Directory

City: Greenbelt

State_or_Province: MD

Postal_Code: 20771

Country: USA

Contact_Voice_Telephone: (301) 614-6898

Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 301-614-5268

Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Tyler.B.Stevens@nasa.gov

Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata

Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998

Metadata_Time_Convention: local time