Harvest and density-dependent predation drive long-term population decline in a northern ungulate.

ABSTRACT: The relative effect of top-down versus bottom-up forces in regulating and limiting wildlife populations is an important theme in ecology. Untangling these effects is critical for a basic understanding of trophic dynamics and effective management. We examined the drivers of moose (Alces alces) population growth by integrating two independent sources of observations within a hierarchical Bayesian population model. We used one of the largest existing spatiotemporal data sets on ungulate population dynamics globally. We documented a 20% population decline over the period examined. There was negative density-dependent population growth of moose. Although we could not determine the mechanisms producing density-dependent suppression of population growth, the relatively low densities at which we d

SUBMITTER: Marrotte RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9541669 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature