Do wolves control their own numbers? Understanding and updating the long debate

IF 1.7 3区生物学 Q3 ECOLOGY

Wildlife Biology Pub Date : 2024-05-03 DOI:10.1002/wlb3.01299

Douglas W. Smith, Brenna J. Cassidy

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The population dynamics of animals involve a complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic regulation, characterized as population self‐regulation, encompasses mechanisms that moderate growth rates before reaching maximum food‐dependent densities. Conversely, extrinsically regulated populations are constrained by environmental variables such as food availability, predation, and disease. What regulates wolf populations has been debated for decades, with most publications concluding that wolves are extrinsically regulated, despite evidence of intrinsic mechanisms. This paper summarizes one perspective from a debate at the 'Wolves Across Borders' conference in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2023. Since this paper is a summary of a public debate, the paper is neither a review nor research paper, rather a research history and a recommendation on how the long‐term disagreement might be resolved. Wolf population regulation is likely an interplay between both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which is best studied longitudinally by monitoring one population through time.

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狼能控制自己的数量吗？了解并更新长期争论

动物的种群动态涉及内在因素和外在因素之间复杂的相互作用。内在调节的特点是种群自我调节，包括在达到依赖食物的最大密度之前调节生长率的机制。相反，外在调节的种群则受到环境变量的限制，如食物的可获得性、捕食和疾病。几十年来，人们一直在争论狼的种群是由什么调节的，尽管有证据表明狼的内在机制，但大多数出版物都认为狼是受外在机制调节的。本文总结了 2023 年 5 月在瑞典斯德哥尔摩举行的 "狼群跨越国界 "会议辩论中的一个观点。由于本文是对一场公开辩论的总结，因此它既不是一篇综述，也不是一篇研究论文，而是一部研究史，并就如何解决长期分歧提出了建议。狼群数量的调节可能是内在因素和外在因素的相互作用，最好通过对一个种群的长期监测进行纵向研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Wildlife Biology 生物-动物学

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： WILDLIFE BIOLOGY is a high-quality scientific forum directing concise and up-to-date information to scientists, administrators, wildlife managers and conservationists. The journal encourages and welcomes original papers, short communications and reviews written in English from throughout the world. The journal accepts theoretical, empirical, and practical articles of high standard from all areas of wildlife science with the primary task of creating the scientific basis for the enhancement of wildlife management practices. Our concept of ''wildlife'' mainly includes mammal and bird species, but studies on other species or phenomena relevant to wildlife management are also of great interest. We adopt a broad concept of wildlife management, including all structures and actions with the purpose of conservation, sustainable use, and/or control of wildlife and its habitats, in order to safeguard sustainable relationships between wildlife and other human interests.