Population biology and dynamics

A sustainable use of wildlife resources requires reliable information on population size and reproductive rates. The fluctuation in numbers of animal population have been studied intensively for a long time, and by now we have a reasonably good insight into the mechanisms and processes involved. Nevertheless there is still much work to be done, and new research uncovers new and sometimes very surprising features in the dynamics of populations.

The eider population at Söderskär has been studied continously for more than 50 years. The population peaked in the mid-1980s, and has declined since then. Photo Martti Hario

Analysis of population fluctuations requires long time series. Finnish game research has consistentently stressed the importance of reliable monitoring of wildlife populations, and now our data spans over several decades. Monitoring data combined with a modern view on population dynamics provides possibilities to study spatial dynamics of fluctuations over large areas. An interesting problem is the cyclic fluctuations of grouse populations – a phenomenon which seems to have ceased to exist in Finland in the 1990s.

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