The far-reaching ecological effects of genetic fitness in a keystone
predator species, grey wolves
- Sarah Hoy
, - Philip Hedrick,
- Rolf Peterson,
- Leah Vucetich,
- Kristin Brzeski,
- John Vucetich
Sarah Hoy

Michigan Technological University
Corresponding Author:sarah.r.hoy@gmail.com
Author ProfileRolf Peterson
Michigan Technological University School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Author ProfileLeah Vucetich
Michigan Technological University School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Author ProfileJohn Vucetich
Michigan Technological University School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Author ProfileAbstract
Although loss of genetic fitness is known to be severely detrimental to
the viability of populations, little is known about how changes in the
genetic fitness of keystone species can impact the functioning of
communities and ecosystems. Here we assessed how changes in the genetic
fitness of a keystone predator, grey wolves, impacted the ecosystem of
Isle Royale National Park over 2-decades. The decline and subsequent
resurgence of inbreeding in the wolf population led to a rise and then
fall in predation rates on moose, the primary prey of wolves and
dominant mammalian herbivore in this system. Those changes in predation
rate led to large fluctuations in moose abundance which in turn impacted
browse rates on balsam fir, the dominant forage for moose during winter
and an important species in the forest. Thus, forest dynamics can be
traced back to changes in the genetic health of a predator population.