Sources
Of the many websites that explore the relationship between the hare and the lynx, by far the most dynamic and engaging is CBC Television’s production of Walking with Ghosts. The Overview section has detailed information about the hare, lynx, population cycles and even about predator biologists. Unfortunately, I was never able to figure out how to order a copy of the program. Please add a comment if you are able to get a copy!
Other resources about the hare-lynx population cycle include:
- An article from the National Wildlife Association discussing the effect of global warming on the hare and lynx.
- Information from at Hinterland’s Who’s Who website about the hare and lynx.
- A scientific review article (Krebs, C. J., R. Boonstra, S. Boutin and A. R. E. Sinclair. 2001. What drives the 10-year cycle of snowshoe hares? BioScience 51:25-35), available below as a pdf document.
Standards
Grade 6
Ecology (Life Sciences)
Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis and then from organism to organism through food webs.
Students know matter is transferred over time from one organism to others in the food web and between organisms and the physical environment.
e. Students know the number and types of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on the resources available and on abiotic factors, such as quantities of light and water, a range of temperatures, and soil composition.
