New Isle Royale study on predators and their prey in progress

New Isle Royale study on predators and their prey in progress

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There are too many moose on Isle Royale, a remote island located 90 km from the Upper Michigan Peninsula in Lake Superior. Having already housed a pack of healthy wolves that controlled the moose population, the decline of the pack of wolves caused an imbalance in the ecosystem allowing moose to bloom and disappear. decimate the vegetation. If an adult moose eats up to 60 lbs of plants a day, imagine what could happen to the Isle Royale ecology – and the moose population in general – if it was not controlled.

Last winter's survey counted 2,060 moose on the island, and data from the Michigan Technological University (MTU) revealed that "the moose population has increased by 19% per year" due to the scarcity of their natural predators (wolves) over the last eight years. Recently, the state has imported several wolves from Minnesota with the intention of rebalancing the predator-prey relationship. However, according to Science, the 13 new wolves at the radio collar "largely avoid the territory of the remaining two wolves of the original population." 20 Females were also captured for study.

So far, the results of the predator-prey study have revealed "things we have never seen before," said Rolf Peterson, wildlife ecologist at MTU. Researchers learned where moose would feed on new spring growth and where wolves tended to "regroup", which are "supposed to kill moose, which will help them collect bones from the spring." moose "and, according to Peterson," will totally redirect our attention. . "

At the same time, the researchers said the two genetically linked wolves remained hooked. While they are no longer breeding, consanguineous couples are busy marking their territory and have discovered the ice bridge, crossing it and crossing it. Unfortunately, it was assumed that the newly displaced wolves would also be consanguineous[i]Reproduction is fundamentally inevitable because of the small size of the island, "said geneticist Jacqueline Robinson. However, according to Science, the National Park Service hopes to avoid this by bringing more wolves to the island "to further diversify the population."