LTREB: Evaluating Population Cycles and Spatial Synchrony Using Long-Term Demographic and Genetic Data on Snowshoe Hares

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Many wildlife populations exhibit massive fluctuations in numbers across different habitats and through time. Among the most remarkable of these are the 10-year cycles, synchronized across all or parts of continents, shown by some mammal species in the northern hemisphere. Understanding the mechanisms that create and dampen these cycles, and synchronize them across a species' range, can illuminate the fundamental processes that influence population dynamics of wild species. Snowshoe hares exhibit classic 10-year population cycles across their northern range in Canada and Alaska, but in the southern part of their range (the northern continental U.S.) the cycles are thought to dampen or disappear, possibly due to habitat fragmentation and climate change. This project extends a long-term study of snowshoe hares across the western US and Canada to determine whether cycles are dampened in the lower 48 states, the role that climate change and habitat fragmentation play in cycle dampening, and the role that animal movement plays in synchronizing population dynamics across large spatial scales. The resulting data will both improve our understanding of a fundamental natural phenomenon and test hypotheses about the effects of human-caused changes on wildlife population dynamics. Results from this project continue to garner widespread interest among policymakers, forest managers, and the general public, as they have direct implications for recovery of the threatened Canada lynx, a specialist predator on hares. More broadly, results will examine how forest fragmentation and climate change affect population dynamics across continental scales. The project will foster strong collaborations with hundreds of citizen scientists and involve dozens of undergraduate and graduate students and international scientists in the research. The lead investigator will present at least 2 invited lectures or discussions per year to state and federal agencies, and the research will continue to attract attention from diverse media outlets.