DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Patterns and Mechanisms of Spatial Population Synchrony for Snowshoe Hares

在阿拉斯加和加拿大的大部分地区，雪鞋兔的数量在十年的时间里经常发生20到50倍的戏剧性变化。这些变化几乎同时发生在整个大陆。然而，在毗邻的美国，野兔数量的波动在地理上遥远的种群之间似乎是不相关的。本研究将分析整个范围内的雪鞋兔数量数据，以验证或反驳长期以来的观点，即北部（加拿大和阿拉斯加）和南部（美国北部邻近地区）的野兔种群具有不同的种群动态。研究人员将使用统计方法来确定雪鞋兔同步的区域集群。这些信息将与遗传分析和计算机模型相结合，以评估影响区域野兔动态和同步的三个主要因素的相对重要性：栖息地破碎化、专门的野兔捕食者（如加拿大猞猁）和区域气候模式。雪鞋兔是受联邦威胁的加拿大猞猁和北美许多其他森林食肉动物的重要猎物。了解导致野兔数量在大范围内同时增加或减少的因素对于管理雪鞋兔和它们的许多捕食者是必要的。除了为当前的保护提供信息外，这项研究还将深入了解这种生态上重要的物种如何受到未来栖息地丧失、捕食者数量的增加或减少以及气候变化的影响。

Snowshoe hare populations show regular dramatic 20 to 50-fold changes in numbers over a ten-year span in most of Alaska and Canada. These changes occur at approximately the same time across the continent. In the contiguous U.S., however, fluctuations in hare numbers appear to be disconnected among geographically distant populations. This study will analyze data about snowshoe hare numbers from across the range to validate or refute the long-held belief that northern (Canada and Alaska) and southern (northern contiguous U.S.) hare populations have different population dynamics. The researchers will use statistical methods designed to identify regional clusters of synchrony for snowshoe hares. This information will be combined with genetic analysis and computer models to evaluate the relative importance of three major factors proposed to influence regional hare dynamics and synchrony: habitat fragmentation, specialist hare predators such as Canada lynx, and regional climate patterns.Snowshoe hares are important prey for the federally threatened Canada lynx and many other forest carnivores in North America. Understanding the factors that cause hare numbers concurrently to increase or decrease across large areas is necessary for managing snowshoe hares and their many predators. In addition to informing current conservation, this study will provide insight into how this ecologically important species may be impacted by future habitat loss, increases or declines in predator numbers, and climate change.