THE WASHINGTON STATE
PREDATOR-PREY PROJECT
PREDATOR-PREY PROJECT
Studying the potential ecological impact of recolonizing wolves on sympatric carnivore and ungulate populations to inform wildlife conservation and management
Washington is home to a diverse community of wildlife. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), elk (Cervus elaphus) and moose (Alces alces), i.e., ungulates, offer wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities, alter vegetation, and provide a prey base for many carnivores. In turn, ungulate populations are influenced by the availability of forage, land management practices, human impacts, terrain, climate, competition with other ungulates, predation, and other causes of mortality. Cougars (Puma concolor), black bears (Ursus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufus) all consume these ungulates and have the potential to influence the size, demography, and behavior of Washington's ungulate populations through consumption or by altering ungulate behavior. The recent return of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to Washington may alter competition among predators or impact their patterns of ungulate consumption. Thus, understanding how naturally recolonizing wolves influence ungulate populations, either through consumption or by changing behavior, and relative to environmental and human-related factors, can illuminate important drivers of population growth of ungulates and inform wildlife management in Washington.
We conduct our research in Stevens and Pend Oreille counties (primarily Game Management Units 121 and 117) in northeastern Washington and in Okanogan County (primarily Game Management Units 203, 218, 224, 231, 233, and 239) of north-central Washington. These regions represent a variety of land uses including agriculture, timber-production, wilderness, private residence, and commercial use. The U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, private timber corporations and private landholders manage or own the majority of land across the study areas.
Please browse our individual research pages to learn more about the specific studies that make up the Washington Predator-Prey Project. |
In 2016, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the University of Washington (UW) began the Washington Predator-Prey Project. This study is a collaborative effort to investigate the biotic, abiotic and human factors influencing inter- and intraspecific relationships among ungulates and the wildlife communities of which they are part as wolves recolonize the State. The goal of our research is to provide rigorous science to inform the management of a multi-predator, multi-prey system so as to maximize the ecological, recreational, and aesthetic values that ungulates provide. By simultaneously investigating various components of the system such as competition, predation, human impacts, and abiotic factors, we can better inform strategies to produce more reliable management outcomes for the myriad species that comprise these systems.
Project Study Areas
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Learn more about community dynamics, wolf-cougar interactions, carnivore-ungulate interactions, and mesopredators. Find out who we are, and get recent updates about the project.
