Resources ≀ Predator/Prey Relationships

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, there are numerous factors that may act singularly or in combination to influence deer abundance. For instance, if food availability was greatly reduced, especially during critical times, or habitat that is essential for survival … read more

Elk (Cervus canadensis) are an iconic species throughout the western United States and play a large role across ecological (Kauffman et al. 2010), social (Haggerty and Travis 2006) and economic (US Department of the Interior et al. 2014) landscapes. However, … read more

Identifying limiting factors for animals with seasonally dynamic life histories sometimes requires understanding intra-annual periods of resource scarcity (e.g., Ashmole, 1963). For ungulates living in northern environments, winter is generally a period of negative energy budget when forage provides some … read more

Anthropogenic landscape change can lead to novel interactions among species with consequences for predator–prey dynamics. Population responses of predators and prey vary according to species abundance, movement, and distribution. Although conservation often involves managing species abundance, culling predators to benefit … read more

Comprehensive knowledge of ambush behavior requires an understanding of where a predator expects prey to be, which is generally unknowable because ambush predators often hunt mobile prey that exhibit complex, irregular, or inconspicuous movements. Wolves (Canis lupus) are primarily cursorial … read more

Caribou and reindeer Rangifer tarandus are declining across North America and Scandinavia in part from wolf Canis lupus-mediated apparent competition with more abundant ungulate prey species. While caribou generally persist in areas with low wolf density, wolf packs that overlap … read more