Long-term Research on Wolves in the Superior National Forest

摘要: The seeds for the blossoming of wolf ( Canis lupus ) population throughout upper Midwest were embodied in a long line wolves that had persisted central part Superior National Forest (SNF) northeastern Minnesota, probably since retreat last glaciers. This withstood not only various natural environmental factors shaped them through their evolution but also logging, fires, market hunting prey animals, and even bounties, aerial hunting, poisoning exterminated ancestors dispersed offspring few pack territories away more accessible areas. dense extensive stretch wild land is now labeled Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness proven too formidable barrier foes who strived to eliminate animal succeeded everywhere else contiguous 48 states United States. SNF became reservoir recolonization Minnesota into neighboring Wisconsin Upper Peninsula Michigan. other States where still survived late 1960s was Isle Royale Lake Superior, just 32 km off Minnesota’s coast (Vucetich Peterson, this volume). Those crossed Superior’s rare ice bridge 540-km 2 island from Ontario or possibly 1949. At time, national park, reached fully protected there poisons, hunting. those wildlife biologist, wilderness enthusiast, writer Sigurd Olson (1938) trailed snow 1930s Milt Stenlund (1955) studied later. Although neither worker realized it, molecular geneticists would eventually debate whether they an interesting blend animals descended most recent colonization North America across Bering ), such as northwestern Canada Alaska, evolved lycaon inhabit southeastern (Wilson et al. 2000) . Wolves with both types genetic markers sometimes live same pack, apparently