Wolf-moose interactions on Isle Royale: the end of natural regulation?
Peterson R. 1999. Wolf-moose interactions on Isle Royale: the end of natural regulation?. Ecological Applications. 9(1):10-16
Long term population fluctuations of wolves and moose in Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, are used to evaluate a central tenet of the natural regulation concept commonly applied by the National Park Service in the United States, namely, that wild cervid population exhibit density dependence which, even in the absence of large predators, will stabilize population growth. This tenet, restated as a hypothesis, is rejected based on moose population response to a chronic wolf decline. &. The long-standing NPS management tradition of nonintervention may not be compatible with the current policy that stresses maintenance of natural ecological processes, such as a predator-prey system.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Peterson, RO
- Units
- ISRO
- Keywords
- Alces alces, Animal Studies, Ecosystem Processes, interaction, Management, Moose, Natural regulation, nonintervention, Population Dynamics, Wolves