Population regulation in snowshoe hare and Canadian lynx

Stenseth and colleagues applied nonlinear time-series analysis to the long lynx fur-return records and hare data to ask what structures the famous cycle. They found that the lynx series is best described by a low-dimensional model dominated by the predator-prey interaction, while the hare dynamics carry signatures of both food (bottom-up) and predation (top-down) regulation. The analysis reconciled competing single-factor explanations by showing the cycle emerges from a three-trophic-level interaction: vegetation, hares and predators. By extracting the dimensionality and feedback structure from the data, the paper bridged empirical wildlife records and theoretical population dynamics, and it remains a key reference for how delayed density dependence produces regular multi-annual cycles.