Editor's Summary
6 November 2008
Falling lemming populations
Norwegian lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) are well known for their population cycles, which are thought, at their peak, to influence other ecosystem components. In fact the role of the physical environment — climate included — in determining rodent cycle dynamics has remained largely a matter of conjecture. Now from a combination of long-term (1970–2007) data on rodent density, bird densities and field estimates of snow pack conditions together with meteorological data, a clearer picture of the lemming cycle has been obtained. What emerges is a marked shift away from the familiar 3–5-year rodent cycles to an aperiodic, mostly low-amplitude state, which can be explained and predicted by the between-year variations in winter climate. There is strong evidence for the hypothesis that climate effects on rodent dynamics are transmitted to other parts of the ecosystem.
News and Views: Population biology: Case of the absent lemmings
Changing weather patterns, producing the wrong kind of snow, have transformed the population dynamics of lemmings in northern Scandinavia. The knock-on effects have been felt throughout the ecosystem.
Tim Coulson & Aurelio Malo
doi:10.1038/456043a
Letter: Linking climate change to lemming cycles
Kyrre L. Kausrud, Atle Mysterud, Harald Steen, Jon Olav Vik, Eivind Østbye, Bernard Cazelles, Erik Framstad, Anne Maria Eikeset, Ivar Mysterud, Torstein Solhøy & Nils Chr. Stenseth
doi:10.1038/nature07442
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (690K) | Supplementary information
