Introduction

Predator-prey population cycles are commonly illustrated in textbooks using classic stories, such as the 10-year cycle in Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations. The classic story is that when the hare (prey) population density increases, lynx predation increases, which drives an increase in lynx population density. As hare populations decline, lynx populations decline, and plants browsed by hare recover, allowing for the cycle to start again. The observed trends in these coupled populations are usually described as feeding or trophic relationships driven by the predator (e.g. Krebs et al. 1995).

BUT, if you were the hare and you noticed a lot of lynx around, wouldn’t you change your behavior to avoid potential predators? Perhaps you’d be more careful when foraging or maybe you’d even move to a new neighborhood? Sounds reasonable. Work by RMBL scientists and others, shows that prey modify their behavior in sophisticated ways to avoid predators and reduce predation risk. The story becomes a bit more complicated, which also makes it more interesting!