Number of Deer Deer Wolf Deer Predation Starvation Population Change +300 Year Population Population Offspring 800 920 1,000 944 996 836 788 766 780 790 1971 1972 1973 10 12 16 100 240 500 2,000 400 480 640 880 1,120 960 2,300 2,500 180 26 2,360 2,224 2,094 1,968 1,916 1,952 1,972 1974 1975 1976 22 28 24 1977 1978 21 18 840 720 1979 1980 19 19 760 760 2510 2488 27 2466 26 25 b400 24 12378 2356 2334 23 22 2290 WOLVES 21 268 2246 20 12224 2202 2180 2158 19 18 17 2136 2114 bos2 1아 15 2070 b048 14 2026 b004 13 12 1982 1960 11 1938 10 1971 1974 1975 1976 1977 1979 1916 1972 1973 1978 DEER - WOLVES
In 1970 the deer population of an island forest reserve about 518 square kilometers in size was about 2000 animals. Although the island had excellent vegetation for feeding, the food supply obviously had limits. Thus the forest management personnel feared that overgrazing might lead to mass starvation. Since the area was too remote for hunters, the wildlife service decided to bring in natural predators to control the deer population. It was hoped that natural predation would keep the deer population from becoming too large and also increase the deer quality (or health), as predators often eliminate the weaker members of the herd. In 1971, ten wolves were flown into the island. The data collected during this program are shown in the following table. The Population Change is the number of deer born minus the number of deer that died during that year. Fill in the last column for each year. The first has been calculated for you. Then graph the deer and wolf populations on the graph below. Use one color to show deer populations and another color to show wolf populations
- What is the relationship between the deer and the wolves on the island?
- Is the number of deer on the island a density-dependent or density-independent limiting factor for the wolf? Explain your answer.
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