Lemmings constitute the Arctic fox’s primary food source throughout much of its range. Of particular interest is the relative importance of survival and recruitment to fluctuations in the Arctic fox population, and how this varies with fluctuations in the lemming population. Such information is vital to improving our understanding of why dramatic fluctuations in animal populations are so common in volatile regions such as the Arctic.
The study will also provide important information about the Arctic fox’s population dynamics, information that can serve as a basis of comparison for future studies, especially in areas (such as Scandinavia) with greater impacts on global changes than are present in our study area. This matter is extremely important, because the impact of humans and climate change currently affect every ecosystem in the world.
Principal investigator
Gustaf Samelius
Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences