Wikenros, Camilla and Sand, Håkan and Bergström, Roger and Liberg, Olof and Chapron, Guillaume
(2015).
Response of Moose Hunters to Predation following Wolf Return in Sweden.
PloS one. 10
:4
, .
[Journal article]
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0119957
Abstract
BackgroundPredation and hunter harvest constitute the main mortality factors affecting the size and dynamics of many exploited populations. The re-colonization by wolves (Canis lupus) of the Scandinavian Peninsula may therefore substantially reduce hunter harvest of moose (Alces alces), the main prey of wolves.Methodology/Principal findingsWe examined possible effects of wolf presence on hunter harvest in areas where we had data before and after wolf establishment (n = 25), and in additional areas that had been continuously exposed to wolf predation during at least ten years (n = 43). There was a general reduction in the total number of moose harvested (n = 31,827) during the ten year study period in all areas irrespective of presence of wolves or not. However, the reduction in hunter harvest was stronger within wolf territories compared to control areas without wolves. The reduction in harvest was larger in small (500-800 km(2)) compared to large (1,200-1,800 km(2)) wolf territories. In areas with newly established wolf territories moose management appeared to be adaptive with regard to both managers (hunting quotas) and to hunters (actual harvest). In these areas an instant reduction in moose harvest over-compensated the estimated number of moose killed annually by wolves and the composition of the hunted animals changed towards a lower proportion of adult females.Conclusions/SignificanceWe show that the re-colonization of wolves may result in an almost instant functional response by another large predator-humans-that reduced the potential for a direct numerical effect on the density of wolves' main prey, the moose. Because most of the worlds' habitat that will be available for future colonization by large predators are likely to be strongly influenced by humans, human behavioural responses may constitute a key trait that govern the impact of large predators on their prey.
Authors/Creators: | Wikenros, Camilla and Sand, Håkan and Bergström, Roger and Liberg, Olof and Chapron, Guillaume | ||||||
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Title: | Response of Moose Hunters to Predation following Wolf Return in Sweden | ||||||
Series/Journal: | PloS one (1932-6203) | ||||||
Year of publishing : | 2015 | ||||||
Depositing date: | 22 February 2016 | ||||||
Volume: | 10 | ||||||
Number: | 4 | ||||||
Page range: | . | ||||||
Number of Pages: | 21 | ||||||
Publisher: | PLOS ONE | ||||||
ISSN: | 1932-6203 | ||||||
Language: | English | ||||||
Publication Type: | Journal article | ||||||
Refereed: | Yes | ||||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||||
Version: | Published version | ||||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||||
Agris subject categories.: | L Animal production > L20 Animal ecology | ||||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 1 Natural sciences > 106 Biological Sciences (Medical to be 3 and Agricultural to be 4) > Zoology (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 5 Social Sciences > 509 Other Social Sciences > Social Sciences Interdisciplinary (Peace and Conflict Research and Studies on Sustainable Society) | ||||||
Agrovoc terms: | wolves, elks, Canis lupus, Alces, Scandinavia, hunting, game, population dynamics | ||||||
Keywords: | wolves, Canis lupus, moose, Alces alces, Scandinavian Peninsula, hunter, population | ||||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-3238 | ||||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-e-3238 | ||||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 13083 | ||||||
Faculty: | S - Faculty of Forest Sciences | ||||||
Department: | (NL, NJ) > Dept. of Ecology (S) > Dept. of Ecology | ||||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||||
Deposited On: | 22 Feb 2016 14:19 | ||||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 09 Sep 2020 14:17 |
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