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Text 1
In parts of Yukon, Canada, the lynx is a major predator of the arctic ground squirrel. Researcher Andrea E. Byrom and colleagues found that when this predation pressure on arctic ground squirrels was temporarily reduced, their numbers significantly increased. This finding illustrates a foundational ecological principle: predators control prey population numbers.
Text 2
Mark A. Hurley and colleagues found that excluding coyotes from a site in the state of Idaho where they typically prey on mule deer had no significant effect on mule deer abundance. Many other predation relief studies show an increase in prey abundance, but those studies often focus on small, rapidly reproducing prey, like birds, squirrels, and rabbits, rather than large, slowly reproducing prey, like mule deer, which could account for the difference between those results and Hurley and colleagues' results.
In parts of Yukon, Canada, the lynx is a major predator of the arctic ground squirrel. Researcher Andrea E. Byrom and colleagues found that when this predation pressure on arctic ground squirrels was temporarily reduced, their numbers significantly increased. This finding illustrates a foundational ecological principle: predators control prey population numbers.
Text 2
Mark A. Hurley and colleagues found that excluding coyotes from a site in the state of Idaho where they typically prey on mule deer had no significant effect on mule deer abundance. Many other predation relief studies show an increase in prey abundance, but those studies often focus on small, rapidly reproducing prey, like birds, squirrels, and rabbits, rather than large, slowly reproducing prey, like mule deer, which could account for the difference between those results and Hurley and colleagues' results.