YS 24-1 Temporal Variation in Wolf Predation Dynamics in Yellowstone Lessons Learned from Two Decades of Research. Temporal Variation in Wolf Predation Dynamics in Yellowstone: Lessons Learned from Two Decades of Research. by Matthew C. Metz, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, John A. Vucetich, & Rolf O. Peterson. Among studies of predation, wolf-prey relationships are among the most well studied and best understood. In fact, the study of wolves and moose on Isle Royale National Park, which began in 1958 and continues today, is the longest running predator-prey study in the world. Since 1971, researchers have evaluated predation dynamics for wolves preying on moose, which are the sole ungulate (hoofed mammal) on Isle Royale. Central to the evaluation of how wolf predation influences moose population dynamics, has been collecting information about kill rate (kills per wolf per day) and predation rate (annual percent of moose population killed by wolves). This work has shown that the influence of wolf predation on moose population dynamics varies considerably over time (Peterson et al. 2014), highlighting that the influence of predation is not static but rather temporally dynamic. YS 24-1 Temporal Variation in Wolf Predation Dynamics in Yellowstone Lessons Learned from Two Decades of Research - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)