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10年的时间里经常发生20到50倍的戏剧性变化。这些变化在整个非洲大陆几乎同时发生。 在美国本土，然而，野兔数量的波动在地理上遥远的种群之间似乎是脱节的。这项研究将分析来自整个范围的雪鞋野兔数量的数据，以验证或反驳长期以来的信念，即北方（加拿大和阿拉斯加）和南方（北方毗邻美国）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识别雪鞋野兔的同步区域集群。这些信息将结合遗传分析和计算机模型，以评估提出的三个主要因素的相对重要性，以影响区域野兔动态和同步性：栖息地破碎化，专业野兔捕食者，如加拿大猞猁，和区域气候patterns.Snowshoe野兔是重要的猎物联邦政府受到威胁的加拿大猞猁和许多其他森林食肉动物在北美。了解导致野兔数量在大面积范围内同时增加或减少的因素对于管理雪鞋野兔及其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.