Records from Hudson Bay Company post show a pattern of fluctuating numbers of snowshoe hare fur. Every ten years there appear to be a shortage of snowshoe hare fur, but then the number always rises. Following the cycle, it was noticed that the Canada lynx time lagged behind the snowshoe hare. Traded fur was used as a proxy to reflect the populations of snowshoe hares and Canada lynx. Additionally, not only is there a ten year cycle, but it is also synchronized with most of Canada. Krebs et al. (2001) discusses the mechanism of this 10-year cycle and synchrony, and explains why the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model is only half correct for this system. The authors developed three hypotheses to answer the question of what drives the ten year cycle. They proposed food quantity and quality, social …show more content…
(2001) determined that predation is the main factor driving the snowshoe hare cycle. First they identified that 81% of the radio tagged snowshoe hares died due to predation. Then they conducted experiments to further test their hypothesis. They had a control and two treatments (predator exclosure and food, and predator exclosure). Mammalian predators were excluded, however avian predators were able to still prey on the hares within the exclosures. This was due to avian predators avoiding the fish netting in the trees.
During the decay phase of the cycle the snowshoe hare population in the exclosures didn’t decrease as dramatically as it did outside of the exclosures. There was a higher survival rate of snowshoe hares within the exclosures. Also, the exclosure with added food had a higher survival rate than the exclosure without added food. This experiment produces several results. Firstly, predation is the direct factor driving the snowshoe hare cycle. Secondly, the cycle is more driven by mammalian predation, rather than avian predation. Thirdly, both predation and food supply are important factors in determining the
In exercise one we simulated the arrival of a small group of moose that swam to Isle Royal. The simulation ran over time so that the moose can form a large population on the island. We studied this population of moose before the wolves’ arrival. The simulation ran for 50 years. After the 50 years simulation was complete the data was collected and analyzed.
Lenarz, M. S., Nelson, M. E., Schrage, M. W., & Edwards, A. J. (2009). Temperature Mediated Moose Survival in Northeastern Minnesota. Journal of Wildlife Management, 73(4), 503-510.
The authors eventually discuss the Yellowstone experiment and share their research results. They focus on the northern winter range which is a large mountain terrain that mostly occurs within the northeastern area of Yellowstone National Park. Here, the authors took into consideration annual precipitation and even the average depth of snowpacks. After looking to historical data for the northern range of Yellowstone, Ripple and Beschta evaluated recruitment on aspen and cottonwood over the last two centuries and found that the extirpation of wolves allowed elk to browse unimpeded during winter months. After going over data from Yellowstone after wolf
The snowshoe hare is an important consumer in the ANWR food chain. Without it, top predators such as the brown bear would lack an important food source. The snowshoe hare is an herbivore. Like all herbivores, it eats only plants. Some plants that the snowshoe hare eats are the reindeer lichen, the arctic willow, and the arctic sedge. In the ANWR, it is important that the snowshoe hare has useful adaptations since it lives in the tundra, one of the world’s toughest biomes to survive in. Its signature adaptation is its ability to change color. During the winter, its coat is white as snow, which helps it blend in with its tundra habitat. During the spring and summer, its fur changes reddish-brown, which helps it blend with the dirt and mud that is common in the tundra during and after the period
Faith & Surovell offer hopes for further testing for biological and spatial histories of individual species and their migrations in relation to climate, ecology, and human permeation. They state this will uncover which if not all of the three main mechanisms: climate change, overkill, and extraterrestrial impact, caused the North American mammal extinctions in the late Pleistocene (Faith and Surovell, 2009).
Due to how much the lynx relies on the snowshoe hare population when it drops so does that of the lynx. Most lynx
In a time where the environment is experiencing significant change, it is important that certain communities and individuals be informed of what is occurring. This said environmental change can be observed in the way the seasons affect organisms and their habitat, which leads to an impact on their predator-prey relationships. This relationship between the California mountain lion, mule deer, and coyote that live at Wind Wolves preserve is being studied, along with their seasons. These animals can live in separate regions, but do have overlapping territories. Three of which being Twin Fawn, Site 1, and Site 2. Their environment can change how a predator hunts or how a often or long a prey appears at a certain location.
We have noticed a change in the population of brown and gray deer mice due to a drought. The environmental changes(the drought) had benefited the brown mice, but not the gray mice. The gray mice's population has dropped because camouflage is not suitable in their environment. Here are the recorded results prior to the drought:
Some of the large, main carnivores of the forest include the Siberian Tiger, lynx and bobcat. Some of the smaller herbivores in the forest include the arboreal porcupine and the terrestrial show shoe hare (w3.marietta.edu). Bird inhabit the forest in the summer; 1 in 3 birds in the United States and Canada spend their breeding seasons in the boreal forest (Berg, 2012). In order to survive in the winter, some animals burrow beneath the snow and forage for their food in tunnels in the forest floor. Others hibernate throughout that cold season. Insects are more prevalent during the summer months when plant growth is at its peak, but it dies down during the winter (w3.marietta.edu).
The Arctic region has been experiencing increasing warming throughout the last thirty years, which has led to the changes to lake and river systems, and the melting of permafrost. These changes and the continuing changes, caused by global warming have raised concerns about its effects on wildlife populations that rely on the northern lake ecosystems, such as loons. Loons rely on freshwater lakes for nesting their young, and the invertebrate and fish that live in the lakes use the habitat for food. This effect on Loons can be compared to other animals around the Arctic region, and how the warming is affecting them.
The lemming is an example of a species from the tundra that has adapted to survive there. Lemmings are small mouse like rodents with reddish brown coats. There is an untrue myth that lemmings will jump off cliffs committing mass suicide to prevent overpopulation. People have this confused with when lemmings will herd together and cross rivers and lakes at the same time with some of population not making it across and dying in the waters. Another adaptation lemmings have are that they will resort to cannibalism when food is scarce throughout the winter months. Lemmings will also grow longer claws in the winter to be able to dig in snow that is packed tightly. During the winter lemmings are sometimes also able to change the color of their coats from reddish brown to snowy white to blend in to their surroundings from their predators. Like other organisms lemmings have changed their behaviors and have characteristics to live in the
This is why the inuit have needed to understand the natural patterns of the arctic wildlife
The author argues that the population of Arctic deer are decreasing because of the effect of the global warming on the sea ice. Stated in this way, the argument reveals several instances of poor reasoning and ill-defined terminology. To justify this conclusion, the author notes that the Arctic deer could not follow their migration pattern because the sea ice melt by global warming, so it caused to decline in their population. However, careful scrutiny of the evidence reveals that it provides little credible support for the author’s conclusion. Hence the argument can be considered as incomplete and unsubstantiated.
Animals of the tundra have had to adapt to the long cold winters and to having to raise their young quickly in the summer. Some other adaptations of animals include thick insulating cover of feathers or fur; large, compact bodies; pelage and plumage that turns white in the winter and brown in the summer; the ability to accumulate thick deposits of fat during the short growing season; hibernation; and migration. Some of the animals that are found living in the tundra are lemmings, voles, caribou, artic hares, squirrels, artic foxes, wolves, polar bear, ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, black flies, artic bumble bees, cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout. Some of these animals are shared with other neighboring biomes but some are only home to the tundra. The tundra is the simplest biome in terms of species composition and food chain. The neighboring biome of the tundra is the boreal forest (taiga).
Staying the course is significant, it provides Individuals with balance into working a high-stress kind of job overall, listening to music helps me relax and stay focused. I believe it is essential to have the right balance in your life which could mean listing to music that gets you focused and ready to help your clients. Before doing my practicum, I like listening to sounds of the ocean on my Spotify app; I also look to this kind of music when I read and do papers, I find picturing myself in nature and hearing the relaxing sounds helps my body feel at ease. When it comes to harmonics that help me are things like listening to sounds of running water or the ocean, this assists in elevating my mood and making me feel more focused on my readings.