Animal Sciences Commons^™

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Subsidize Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) During A Moose (Alces Americanus) Decline: A Case Of Apparent Competition?, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Moose (Alces americanus) in northeastern Minnesota have declined by 55% since 2006. Although the cause is unresolved, some studies have suggested that Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) contributed to the decline. After the Moose decline, wolves could either decline or switch prey. To determine which occurred in our study area, we compared winter wolf counts and summer diet before and after the Moose decline. While wolf numbers in our study area nearly doubled from 23 in winter 2002 to an average of 41 during winters 2011–2013, calf:cow ratios (the number of calves per cow observed during winter …