Hare and lynx populations

Plants slowly recover and the hare population starts to increase again. This will also cause the hare population to decrease.

This is also when the hare population crashes.

Hare and lynx populations. Hare and Lynx Populations Populations are always changing. Sometimes changes are the result of humans interfering with food webs or habitats. But even when humans do not interfere populations will still naturally shift up and down or fluctuate.

For example let us study the relationship between the Canada lynx and its primary prey the snowshoe hare. The goal is to maintain up to 20 collared lynx at each location for at least 2 years following a snowshoe hare population crash. At a maximum 140 lynx could be collared annually and at least 109 of the collared lynx would be expected to disperse during the snowshoe hare population crash based on dispersal percentages from previous studies.

The simulated population dynamics is well fitted to the observed long-term fluctuations of hare and lynx populations. Through simulation we find density dependency and asymmetric predation only producing damped oscillation are necessary but not sufficient factors in causing the observed 10-year cycles. While extrinsic climate factors are important in producing and modifying the sustained cycles.

1 - 3. Hare and Lynx PopulationsPopulations are always changing. Sometimes changes are the result of humansinterfering with food webs or habitats.

But even when humans do not interferepopulations will still naturally shift up and down or fluctuate. Why are there more hares than Lynx. The lynx population increases as the hare population increases because there are more prey for the lynx to eat.

Hares are herbivores plant eaters and tend to stay in the same general location throughout their lives. It is plain to see that the population of hares increased rapidly. You can see this same correlation with lynx even though their population took more generations to reach a large amount.

At about generation 11 the lynx population is at its peak. This is also when the hare population crashes. This is a direct correlation.

You think the lynx population so closely follows the hare population. What is happening is complex. The lynx and hare populations have a predator-prey relationship.

Disease food supply and other predators are variables in this complex relationship. The flux in this cyclic relationship is what allows for the ecosystem dynamic to work. Predator and prey populations exhibit fluctuations described as the predator tracking the prey.

The classic example is the snowshoe hare and lynx populations. Note that the lynx population green peaks slightly behind the hare population blue which is the lynxs primary food source. The hare cycle is mainly driven by excess.

The population oflynx declines also any data points acceptable. Propose an explanation for the apparent cause and effect relationship between the populations of lynx and hares. Because a lot offood is available snowshoe hare more lynx are likely to survive and their population can Increase.

What does this information tell you a. The lynx needs to capture at least 3 hares to survive and reproduce. So if the lynx caught less than three hares it starves to death.

Fortunately another lynx may move into the area next turn if all lynx starve this turn. What do hares do well. They reproduce like crazy.

The hare population doubles between generations or turns. The population cycles of lynx and hare repeat themselves approximately every 10 years with the lynx population lagging one to two years behind the hare population. The classic explanation is this.

As hare numbers increase there is more food available for the lynx allowing the lynx population. Keeping this in consideration when the hare population increases what happens to Lynx. When the populaion size of the hare increases there is more food for the lynx to eat.

As a result the lynx population also increases. The large lynx population will kill more hares so the hare population decreases. This will also cause the hare population to decrease.

Do rabbits eat Lynx. Wide harelike paws help lynx skim through deep snow without sinking in. Correspondingly why does the hare and lynx population number fluctuate.

When the populaion size of the hare increases there is more food for the lynx to eat. As a result the lynx population also increases. The large lynx population will kill more hares so the hare population decreases.

This will also cause the hare population to decrease. What factors may be responsible for the unusual number of hare. The food plants slowly recover and the hare population starts to increase again.

Since hares have several litters each year the hare population increases rapidly. After a year or two at high densities the hare cycle repeats itself. The lynx population decline follows the snowshoe hare population crash after a lag of one to two years.

As hare numbers start to decline lynx continue to eat well because they can easily catch the starving hares. This means that they over graze on the plants in their environments. When the plants they feed on decline so too does the hare numbers as they face starvation.

The Lynx populations also fluctuate with the Hare population declines as they are forced to hunt less nutritious species such as mice and carrion. Hare and Lynx Populations. Populations are always changing.

Sometimes changes are the result of humans interfering with food webs or habitats. But even when humans do not interfere populations will still naturally shift up and down or fluctuate. For example let us study the relationship between the Canada lynx and its primary prey the snowshoe hare.

Hare and Lynx Populations Populations are always changing. Sometimes changes are the result of humans interfering with food webs or habitats. But even when humans do not interfere populations will still naturally shift up and down or fluctuate.

For example let us study the relationship between the Canada lynx and its primary prey the snowshoe hare. Due to the tight trophic interactions between the lynx and the hare ie G h l 0 and G l h 0 the empirical patterns of statistical density dependence seen in the parsimonious time series model for the lynx Table 1. β 1 0 and β 2 0 are easily fulfilled in the predatorprey system if self-regulation within both the lynx and the hare populations are not too strong the hare model requiring.

Thus when hares are abundant lynx populations expand and when the density of hares is reduced lynx are forced to hunt ground squirrels grouse and foxes. Though they occasionally kill larger animals such as a white-tailed deer the shift away from hares takes its toll and lynx populations ultimately shrink. With the hare population at this stage lynx survival is virtually impossible.

Remove any hares captured and enter the tallies for the first generation. The hare population doubles between generationsmultiply Hares Remaining by two and enter the resulting number in. Plants slowly recover and the hare population starts to increase again.

Since hares have several litters each year the hare population increases rapidly. After a year or two at high densities the hare cycle repeats itself. The lynx population decline follows the snowshoe hare population crash after a lag of one to two years.

As hare numbers start to decline lynx continue to eat well because they can easily catch. To a first approximation there was apparently nothing keeping the hare population in check other than predation by lynx and the lynx depended entirely on hares for food. To be sure trapping for pelts removed large numbers of both species from the populations – otherwise we would have no data – but these numbers were quite small in.

A MyScienceBox Lesson Plan by Irene Salter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License. To view a copy of this license visit or send a letter to Creative Commons 559 Nathan Abbott Way Stanford California 94305 USA.

Hare and Lynx Populations Populations are always changing. Sometimes changes are the result of humans interfering with food. Population regulation in snowshoe hare and Canadian lynx.

Asymmetric food web configurations between hare and lynx statistical modelinggeneralized additive modelspopulation dynamicsdimension NILS CHR. STENSETHt WILHELM FALCK OTTAR N. BJ0RNSTAD AND CHARLES J.