Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles

According to the alternative prey hypothesis, autumn populations of ground‐nesting game birds fluctuate in synchrony with vole numbers because generalist predators that mainly eat voles switch to alternative prey, such as eggs and chicks, when vole numbers decline. In hunting statistics from Nord‐Tr...

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Published in:Ibis
Main Author: SELÅS, VIDAR
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.2006.00566.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00566.x
id crwiley:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x
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spelling crwiley:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x 2024-09-15T17:34:35+00:00 Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles SELÅS, VIDAR 2006 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.2006.00566.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00566.x en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Ibis volume 148, issue 4, page 678-686 ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X journal-article 2006 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x 2024-08-20T04:15:19Z According to the alternative prey hypothesis, autumn populations of ground‐nesting game birds fluctuate in synchrony with vole numbers because generalist predators that mainly eat voles switch to alternative prey, such as eggs and chicks, when vole numbers decline. In hunting statistics from Nord‐Trøndelag, central Norway, 1901–24, annual fluctuations in the number of Willow Grouse Lagopus lagopus and Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus , but not of Woodcock Scolopax rusticola , were positively related to vole numbers in the current year. Both Woodcock and grouse indices were related to hunting indices of Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and to weather variables assumed to influence the birds’ survival or reproduction, suggesting that the indices actually reflected local population levels. Synchronous vole and grouse fluctuations are consistent with the alternative prey hypothesis (although predator densities were low in the early 1900s), but the asynchronous Woodcock fluctuations refute the hypothesis. Rather, because the Woodcock does not feed on plants utilized by voles and grouse, I suggest that food quality is the ultimate factor for the synchrony in vole and grouse numbers in Norway. Article in Journal/Newspaper Accipiter gentilis Wiley Online Library Ibis 148 4 678 686
institution Open Polar
collection Wiley Online Library
op_collection_id crwiley
language English
description According to the alternative prey hypothesis, autumn populations of ground‐nesting game birds fluctuate in synchrony with vole numbers because generalist predators that mainly eat voles switch to alternative prey, such as eggs and chicks, when vole numbers decline. In hunting statistics from Nord‐Trøndelag, central Norway, 1901–24, annual fluctuations in the number of Willow Grouse Lagopus lagopus and Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus , but not of Woodcock Scolopax rusticola , were positively related to vole numbers in the current year. Both Woodcock and grouse indices were related to hunting indices of Goshawk Accipiter gentilis and to weather variables assumed to influence the birds’ survival or reproduction, suggesting that the indices actually reflected local population levels. Synchronous vole and grouse fluctuations are consistent with the alternative prey hypothesis (although predator densities were low in the early 1900s), but the asynchronous Woodcock fluctuations refute the hypothesis. Rather, because the Woodcock does not feed on plants utilized by voles and grouse, I suggest that food quality is the ultimate factor for the synchrony in vole and grouse numbers in Norway.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author SELÅS, VIDAR
spellingShingle SELÅS, VIDAR
Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
author_facet SELÅS, VIDAR
author_sort SELÅS, VIDAR
title Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
title_short Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
title_full Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
title_fullStr Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
title_full_unstemmed Patterns in grouse and Woodcock Scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central Norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
title_sort patterns in grouse and woodcock scolopax rusticola hunting yields from central norway 1901–24 do not support the alternative prey hypothesis for grouse cycles
publisher Wiley
publishDate 2006
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1474-919X.2006.00566.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00566.x
genre Accipiter gentilis
genre_facet Accipiter gentilis
op_source Ibis
volume 148, issue 4, page 678-686
ISSN 0019-1019 1474-919X
op_rights http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919x.2006.00566.x
container_title Ibis
container_volume 148
container_issue 4
container_start_page 678
op_container_end_page 686
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