Role of Food in Hare Population Cycles

Keith, Lloyd B.

doi:10.2307/3544311

Cited by 108 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…1984). Bulmer (1974Bulmer ( , 1975 concluded statistically that the driving force in the North American 10-year furbearer cycle is the snowshoe hare, and several authors have suggested that this cycle is caused by an interaction between the hare and its food (Keith 1974(Keith , 1983Keith etal. 1984;Bryant 1981) that is modified by predators (Keith 1974).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gradients in density variations of small rodents: the importance of latitude and snow cover

1985

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Summary.Microtine rodents are known to show extreme population variations (cycles) but non-cyclic populations have also been recognized during recent years. The cyclic populations have been widely thought to be regulated by intrinsic mechanisms. However, such predictions for cyclic populations are usually not applicable to non-cyclic ones and extrinsic factors may have to be included in any explanation.A hypothesis that the degree of fluctuations in small rodent numbers is related to the sustainable number of generalist predators was tested on mainly literature data by computing "indices of cyclicity" for local populations. These indices were related to latitude and snow cover (two measures) as these variables will affect the amount of alternative prey available for these generalists. Within Fennoscandia such indices for Clethrionomys glareolus and Microtus agrestis were clearly positively related to latitude and snow cover. The fraction of populations with summer declines in numbers, characterizing highly cyclic populations, increased in the same way. Cyclicity indices in Great Britain were similar to those in southern Fennoscandia, both areas being poor in snow, but were higher at the same latitudes in eastern Europe with more snow. Indices of density variations were generally low in North American Clethrionomys species and very variable in Microtus species.The gradients observed and differences between continents are interpreted as due to microtine-vegetation interactions in northern European areas poor in generalist predators but with important small mustelid predation, and to similar snowshoe hare-vegetation interactions in mainly Canada-Alaska, where small rodents may serve as alternative prey for numerically fluctuating hare predators, at least in the forests. Western European microtine populations, and probably many others, seem to be regulated by generalist predators.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gradients in density variations of small rodents: the importance of latitude and snow cover

1985

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“…Recent studies have shown that the hares feed on a variety of food plants and are eaten by an array of predators (Fig. 1 A) (56)(57)(58)(59). The lynx is a specialist on hares but may utilize other prey species (Fig.…”

Section: The Structure Of the Time Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During this same period, northern goshawk numbers at Kluane were below normal (66). The vegetation appears to segregate into palatable and nonpalatable species for the hare (56,57). Among the palatable species (primarily Betula glandulosa, Salix glauca, and Picea glauca), the hare has a mixed diet (66).…”

Section: The Structure Of the Time Seriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population regulation in snowshoe hare and Canadian lynx: Asymmetric food web configurations between hare and lynx

Stenseth

Falck

Bjørnstad

et al. 1997

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

244

189

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The snowshoe hare and the Canadian lynx in the boreal forests of North America show 9-to 11-year density cycles. These are generally assumed to be linked to each other because lynx are specialist predators on hares. Based on time series data for hare and lynx, we show that the dominant dimensional structure of the hare series appears to be three whereas that of the lynx is two. The three-dimensional structure of the hare time series is hypothesized to be due to a three-trophic level model in which the hare may be seen as simultaneously regulated from below and above. The plant species in the hare diet appear compensatory to one another, and the predator species may, likewise, be seen as an internally compensatory guild. The lynx time series are, in contrast, consistent with a model of donor control in which their populations are regulated from below by prey availability. Thus our analysis suggests that the classic view of a symmetric hare-lynx interaction is too simplistic. Specifically, we argue that the classic food chain structure is inappropriate: the hare is inf luenced by many predators other than the lynx, and the lynx is primarily inf luenced by the snowshoe hare.

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“…The reasons for cyclic dynamics remain unclear ( Newey et al 2007a). Mountain hares are non-territorial and social interactions are not thought to be important ( Flux 1970;Hewson 1976), and there is no evidence of food limitation (Keith 1983). Mammalian and avian predators are controlled on moorland managed for red grouse in Scotland and therefore, unlike the situation in Scandinavia, predators are not thought to be important in driving mountain hare populations ( Newey et al 2007a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can parasites drive population cycles in mountain hares?

Townsend

Newey²,

Thirgood³

et al. 2009

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Understanding the drivers of population fluctuations is a central goal of ecology. Although well-established theory suggests that parasites can drive cyclic population fluctuations in their hosts, field evidence is lacking. Theory predicts that a parasite that loosely aggregates in the host population and has stronger impact on host fecundity than survival should induce cycling. The helminth Trichostrongylus retortaeformis in the UK's only native lagomorph, the mountain hare, has exactly these properties, and the hares exhibit strong population fluctuations. Here we use a host-parasite model parametrized using the available empirical data to test this superficial concordance between theory and observation. In fact, through an innovative combination of sensitivity and stability analyses, we show that hare population cycles do not seem to be driven by the parasite. Potential limitations in our parametrization and model formulation, together with the possible secondary roles for parasites in determining hare demography, are discussed. Improving our knowledge of leveret biology and the quantification of harvesting emerge as future research priorities. With the growing concern over the present management of mountain hares for disease control in Scotland, understanding their population drivers is an important prerequisite for the effective management of this species.

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Role of Food in Hare Population Cycles

Cited by 108 publications

References 34 publications

Gradients in density variations of small rodents: the importance of latitude and snow cover

Gradients in density variations of small rodents: the importance of latitude and snow cover

Population regulation in snowshoe hare and Canadian lynx: Asymmetric food web configurations between hare and lynx

Can parasites drive population cycles in mountain hares?

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