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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents

A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents

Published on: May 16, 2025

Can predation cause the 10-year hare cycle?

K Trostel¹, A R E Sinclair¹, C J Walters¹

¹Institute of Animal Resource Ecology, University of British columbia, V6T 1W5, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

|March 18, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Winter predation drives snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) population cycles. A simulation model incorporating delayed density-dependent responses and predator functional responses accurately predicted these 8-11 year cycles.

Keywords:

Population cycle Predation Snowshoe hare

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Population Dynamics
Wildlife Biology

Background:

Snowshoe hare populations exhibit cyclical fluctuations.
Understanding mortality factors is key to explaining these population dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify mortality causes in snowshoe hares in relation to population density.
To test if density-dependent mortality can generate observed population cycles using simulation models.

Main Methods:

Collected mortality data for snowshoe hares over an 8-year period in Yukon, Canada.
Developed simulation models to assess density-dependent mortality effects on population cycles.
Incorporated delayed density-dependent numerical responses and Type II functional responses in predator models.

Main Results:

Winter predation was the primary mortality source for snowshoe hares.
Mortality rates showed lagged density dependence: 1-year for predation, 2-years for non-predation.
A model with delayed density-dependent winter mortality and Type II predator response successfully simulated 8-11 year cycles.

Conclusions:

Density-dependent winter mortality, particularly predation, is crucial for snowshoe hare population cycles.
Model complexity, including predator-prey interactions and time lags, is essential for accurate cycle simulation.
Further research on juvenile mortality may refine population cycle models.