Research overview: Canada lynx range and hare distribution

A survey of how the distribution and southern range limit of Canada lynx are governed by the availability and dynamics of snowshoe hares. Lynx are tightly tied to boreal forests where hares are abundant and cyclic, and at the range periphery, where hares are sparse and non-cyclic, lynx occur at low density and depend on dispersal from northern source populations. This overview synthesizes the link between hare habitat, snow conditions and lynx occurrence, the role of cyclic versus stable hare populations, and the implications for lynx conservation at the contiguous-U.S. range edge. It connects specialist predator-prey coupling to biogeography and management. The topic explains how a predator's geographic range can be set by the distribution and dynamics of a single key prey species.