Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Role of predation in short-term population fluctuations of some birds and mammals in Fennoscandia

  • Original Papers
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

We tested the hypothesis that synchronous fluctuations in small game species in boreal Fennoscandia are caused by varying predation pressure. The main prey of predators are the cyclically superabundant voles. Small game species (alternative prey) are rare compared to voles. The following 4 predictions were checked: (1) Predators should shift their diet from main prey to alternative prey as main prey decline. — This was confirmed using data on red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) diet.; (2) The mortality rate of alternative prey should be inversely correlated to the abundance of main prey. — This was true for mountain hare (Lepus timidus L.) mortality rates and the rate of nest predation on black grouse (Tetrao tetrix L.).; (3) The total consumption of prey by all the predators should at least equal the critical losses in alternative prey during a decline year. — A tentative estimate of predator consumption amounted to 10 times the losses in grouse and hare.; and (4) The absence of synchrony between the species in the boreonemoral region should be associated with a more diverse diet of predators. — This was the case for red fox diets throughout Sweden. Although all 4 predictions were confirmed, we could not necessarily exclude other hypotheses involving changes in quality or quantity of plant food.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahlmann HW (1976) Norden i text och kartor. Generalstabens litografiska anstalts förlag, Stockholm

  • Angelstam P (1983) Population dynamics of tetraonids, especially the black grouse Tetrao tetrix L., in boreal forests. Unpublished Ph D Thesis, Uppsala University

  • Angelstam P, Lindström E, Widén P Synchronous short-term population fluctuations of some birds and mammals in Fennoscandia — occurrence and distribution. Holarctic Ecology 8 (in press)

  • Angerbjörn A (1981) Winterfood as a limiting factor of dense mountain hare populations on islands — a comparative study. Proc World Lagomorph Conf, Guelph 1979, pp 529–535

  • Cabot WB (1912) In northern Labrador. J Murray, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartwright BW (1943) The “crash” decline in sharp-tailed grouse and hungarian partridge in western Canada and the role of the predator. 9th N Am Wildl Conf, pp 324–330

  • Danell K (1978) Population dynamics of the muskrat in a shallow Swedish lake. J Anim Ecol 47:697–709

    Google Scholar 

  • De Jounge J (1981) Predation of the pine marten (Martes martes L) in relation to habitat selection and food abundance during winter in central Sweden. Swedish Environmental Protection Board, Report 1401

  • Dunn E (1977) Predation by weasels on breeding tits in relation to density of rodents. J Anim Ecol 46:633–652

    Google Scholar 

  • Englund J (1965) Studies on food ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Sweden. Viltrevy 3:377–485

    Google Scholar 

  • Ericson L (1977) The influence of voles and lemmings on the vegetation in a coniferous forest during a 4-year period in northern Sweden. Wahlenbergia 4:1–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Erlinge S, Göransson G, Högstedt G, Liberg O, Nilsson I, Nilsson T, v Schantz T, Sylvén M (1983) Predation regulating small rodent populations in Sweden. Oikos 40:36–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Errington PL (1946) Predation and vertebrate populations (concluded). Quart Rev Biol 21:221–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Formozow AN (1935) Fluctuations in the numbers of economically exploited animals. All-Union Cooperative Unified Publishing House, Moscow and Leningrad, (Translation by Jackson JD, for bureau of Animal Population, Oxford University, England)

    Google Scholar 

  • Goszczyński J (1974) Studies on the food of foxes, Acta Theriol 19:1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Goszczyński J, Ryszkowski L, Truszkowski J (1976) The role of the european hare in the diet of predators in cultivated field systems. In: Pielowski Z, Pucek Z (eds) Ecology and management of European hare populations, Warszawa

  • Haftorn S (1971) Norges Fugler. Universitetsforlaget, Oslo

    Google Scholar 

  • Hagen Y (1952) Rovfuglene og viltpleien. Gyldendal Norsk forlag, Oslo

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansson L (1979) Food as a limiting factor for small rodent numbers — test of two hypotheses. Oecologia (Berlin) 37:297–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Harper J (1977) Population ecology of plants. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Haukioja E, Kapiainen K, Niemelä P, Tuomi J (1983) Plant availability hypothesis and other explanations of herbivore cycles: complementary or exclusive alternatives? Oikos 40:419–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Höglund N (1964) Über die Ernährung des Habichts (Accipiter gentilis Lin) in Schweden. Viltrevy 2:271–328

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins D, Watson A, Miller GR (1963) Population studies of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus (Lath.)) in north east Scotland. J Anim Ecol 32:317–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Jokinen M, Häkkinen I (1982) On the population dynamics of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) in the outer archipelago of SW Finland. Soumen Riista 29:66–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaasa J (1959) En undersøkelse over naeringen hos orrfugler (Lyrurus tetrix L.) i Norge. Meddelser fra Statens viltundersøkelser 2(4)

  • Kalela O (1949) Über Fjeldlemming-Invasionen und andere irreguläre Tierwanderungen. Ann Zool Soc “Vanamo” 13:1–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Keith LB (1974) Some features of population dynamics in mammals. 11th Int Congr Game Biol, pp 17–58

  • Keith LB (1983) Role of food in hare population cycles. Oikos 40:385–395

    Google Scholar 

  • Lack D (1954) The natural regulation of animal numbers. Oxford University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasiewski RC, Dawson WR (1967) The re-examination of the relation between standard metabolic rate and body weight in birds. Condor 69:13–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindén H, Rajala P (1981) Fluctuations and long-term trends in the relative densities of tetraonid populations in Finland, 1964–1977. Finnish Game Research 39:13–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindlöf B, Lemnell PA (1981) Differences in island and mainland populations of mountain hare. Proc of World Lagomorph Conf, Guelph 1979, pp 478–485

  • Lindlöf B, Lindström E, Pehrson Å (1974) On activity, habitat selection and diet of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus L) in winter. Swedish Wildlife 9:27–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindström E (1982) Population ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L) in relation to food supply. Ph D Thesis, University of Stockholm

  • Lindström E, Poulsen O, v Schantz T (1982) Spacing of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L) in relation to food supply. In: Lindström E (ed) Population ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes L) in relation to food supply. Ph D Thesis, University of Stockholm

  • Lockie JD (1959) The estimation of the food of foxes. J Wildl Manage 23:224–227

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg A, Mattsson R, Nilsson B, Widén P (1980) Nötskrikans, Garrulus glandarius, beståndsstorlek under hösten i ett mellansvenskt barrskogsområde. Vår Fågelvärld 39:225–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcström V, Höglund N (1980) Reproduction of willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) in two high land areas in Sweden. Swedish Wildlife Research 11:185–314

    Google Scholar 

  • McGowan JD (1969) Starvation of Alaskan ruffed and sharp-tailed Grouse caused by icing. Auk 86:142–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Moors PJ (1982) Predation by stoats (Mustela erminea) and weasels (M. nivalis) on nests of forest birds in New Zealand. Third International Theriological Congress, Abstracts of Papers, p 163

  • Moss R, Watson A, Ollason J (1982) Animal population dynamics. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Myrberget S (1970) On the part played by predation in short-term variations in the population of willow grouse in Norway. Proc IXth Int Congr Game Biol, pp 458–464

  • Myrberget S, Olsvik Ø, Saether I (1981) On a “crash” in a population of Willow Grouse (Lagopus lagopus). Fauna Norv Ser C Cinclus 4:64–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Novikov GA (1956) Carnivorous mammals of the fauna of the USSR. Israel program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem

    Google Scholar 

  • Olstad O (1932) Undersökelser over lirypens fortplantningsforhold. Statens Viltundersökelser, Medd 1:1–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Ottosson I (1971) Något om skogshararnas inverkan på ön Jungfrun i Kalmarsund. Fauna och Flora 66:229–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Pehrson O (1976) Duckling production of long-tailed duck in relation to spring weather and small rodent fluctuations. Unpublished Ph D Thesis, University of Gothenburg

  • Potts GR (1980) The effects of modern agriculture, nest predation and game management on the population ecology of partridges (Perdix perdix and Alectoris rufa). Adv Ecol Res 11:1–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Pulliainen E (1981) Food and feeding habits of the pine marten in Finnish forest Lapland. Proc Worldwide Furbearer Conf, Frostburg 1980, pp 580–597

  • Pulliainen E (1982) Habitat selection and fluctuations in numbers in a population of the arctic hare (Lepus timidus) on a subarctic fell in Finnish Forest Lapland. Zeitschr Säugetierk 47:168–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Sargeant AB (1978) Red fox prey demands and implications to prairie duck production. J Wildl Manage 42:520–527

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt F (1943) Naturgeschichte des Baum und Steinmarders. Monographie der Wildsäugetiere 10:1–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Semenow-Tjan-Sjanskij OI (1960) Die Ökologie der Birkhuhnvögel (Tetraoniden). Translation no 106, NFR, Stockholm

    Google Scholar 

  • Shelford VE (1943) Abundance of the collared lemming in the Churchill area 1929–1940. Ecol 24:472–484

    Google Scholar 

  • Siivonen L (1948) Structure of short-cyclic fluctuations in numbers of mammals and birds in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere. Papers on Game Research 1

  • Siivonen L (1954) On the short-term fluctuations in numbers of tetraonids. Papers on Game Research 13

  • Siivonen L (1957) the problem of the short-term fluctuations in numbers of tetraonids in Europe. Papers on Game Research 19

  • Sjörs H (1965) Forst regions. In: The plant cover of Sweden. Acta Phytogeographica Suecica 50, pp 48–63

  • Skoog P-A (1970) The food of the Swedish badger (Meles meles). Viltrevy 7:1–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistical Abstract of Sweden (1970) Area and population of communes, Table 13

  • Statistical Abstract of Sweden (1971) Area, population, density of population, by county, table 10. Area and populations of communes, Table 63

  • Storaas T, Wegge P, Sonerud G (1982) Destruction des nids de grand tetras et cycle des petits rongeurs dans l'est de la Norvege. Actes du Colloque International sur le Grand Tetras (Tetrao urogallus major), Colmar 1981, pp 166–178

  • Suomos H (1952) Studies on the feeding habits of the common buzzard. Papers on Game Research 8:121–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapper S (1979) The effect of fluctuating vole numbers (Microtus agrestis) on populations of weasel (Mustela nivalis) on farmland. J Anim Ecol 48:603–617

    Google Scholar 

  • Varley GC, Gradwell GR (1960) Key factors in population studies. J Anim Ecol 29:399–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Wikman M (1977) Duvkökspredation på skogsfågel i sydvästra Finland 1975–1976. Foredrag fra Nordisk Skogsfugel-symposium 1976. Direktoratet for vilt og ferskvannfisk, Viltrapport 5

  • Wildhagen A (1952) Om vekslingene i bestanden av smågnagere i Norge 1871–1949. Statens Viltundersökelser, Drammen

  • Wolff JO (1980) The role of habitat patchiness in the population dynamics of snowshoe hares. Ecol Monographs 50:111–130

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, S-770 31, Riddarhyttan, Sweden

    P. Angelstam, E. Lindström & P. Widén

  2. Department of Zoology, Section of Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Box 561, S-751 22, Uppsala, Sweden

    P. Angelstam, E. Lindström & P. Widén

Authors
  1. P. Angelstam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. Lindström
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. Widén
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Angelstam, P., Lindström, E. & Widén, P. Role of predation in short-term population fluctuations of some birds and mammals in Fennoscandia. Oecologia 62, 199–208 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379014

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379014

Keywords

Search

Navigation