Social organization, spatial distribution, and population density of wolves in relation to moose density

摘要: This 4-year study compared population density and related behavioral attributes of wolves (14 packs) at two different moose densities: 0.23 (LP, low prey density), 0.37 (HP, high density) moose∙km−2. Wolf densities in January averaged 0.8 1.4 animals∙100 km−2, packs consisted 3.7 5.7 individuals, year-long territory sizes were 255 390 km2, interstices between territories represented 30 available area, for the LP HP areas, respectively. Territory size increased significantly with pack size. The wolf suffered from a higher mortality rate owing to occurrence deaths malnutrition intraspecific strife, lower success producing pups (61% possible occasions, 93% HP). When no other ungulate species is present, 0.2 moose∙km−2 would approximate threshold below which could not subsist (or) reproduce successfully. reveals that naturally regulated moose–wolf system...