The wolves and moose of Isle Royale are the focus of the

Last updated: 2/17/2023

The wolves and moose of Isle Royale are the focus of the longest running study of a predator prey system in the wild Both are recent arrivals to Isle Royale moose swam to the island in the early 1900 s Wolves followed decades later traveling over the ice from Canada in the 1940 s About 40 years into the study the wolf population crashed when humans introduced the canine parvovirus Additional factors over the years have impacted both populations At one point during the study the moose population collapsed during the most severe winter on record followed by an outbreak of moose ticks WOLVES 50 40 30 20 10 O O Point A Point C O Point B 1959 Point D Moose and Wolf Populations E WOLVES MOOSE A 1969 B 1979 1989 YEAR C 1999 D 2009 2500 2000 1500 What point on the graph represents the outbreak of moose ticks and a drastic decline in the moose population 1000 500 MOOSE