Comparison of snowshoe hare populations in interior Alaska

Abstract

Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, are a 'keystone' prey species in northern boreal forests and experience population fluctuations of 8-11-years. Despite intense responses of both vegetation and predators to changes in hare densities, landscape-scale comparisons of hare populations in Alaska have been limited to qualitative descriptions. We conducted capture-recapture studies of snowshoe hares at 5 locales in the Tanana valley, from Tok in the east to Clear in the west from 1999 to 2002. Snowshoe hare densities were highest in 1999 (x=6.36 ha⁻¹, SE=0.63) and declined thereafter. We were unable to detect declines in apparent survival during declining densities in our study populations. Movement distances did not vary temporally and persistence of individuals through declining densities may be associated positively with body condition at the peak. The relationship of hare pellets and hare densities was weak and limits the utility of this methodology for estimating hare densities in Interior Alaska.