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Majchrzak, Y.
The role of food in the snowshoe hare - Canada lynx cycle
2016 Arctic (69): 450-453
The snowshoe hare (_Lepus americanus_) is a keystone species in the boreal forest because it affects the demography and population dynamics of many other species in the ecosystem. Throughout Canada and Alaska, hare abundance fluctuates regularly over periods of 9 to 11 years. Hare population dynamics have a strong impact on specialist hare predators, such as lynx (_Lynx canadensis_), which fluctuate in response to hare abundance with a 1 - 2 year lag in their own cycle. The numerous studies conducted since the snowshoe hare - lynx cycle was first described have improved our understanding of the mechanisms behind it. However, there are still unanswered questions on the role of food in the population fluctuations of both hare and lynx.
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