Abstract
Predators are important keystone species in the structuring of communities, and ultimately of the integrity and health of ecosystems. By accelerating the rate and expanding the scope of disturbance and habitat change, man has undermined the resilience and viability of large carnivore populations causing widespread declines. The wolverine, whose fragmented range is now limited to central and northern Fennoscandia, is generally labelled as vulnerable, but with distinct populations at the risk of extinction. Investigating the role wolverines have in ecosystem dynamics and their adaptation to ecosystem changes are important to ensure effective wolverine conservation and maintaining a healthy ecosystem diversity. Focussing on the possibly isolated South Norwegian wolverine population, the project is designed to enable predictability of the impact wolverines have on ecosystem dynamics, including human conflicts. Studies of intra-guild interactions to evaluate the competition and possible commensalism effects among large carnivore species are also included. If conservation and management is to be successful, knowledge of habitat requirements and population dynamics are equally important in determining the ability of individuals to travel between sub-populations in order to preserve viable populations. Adaptability to changing environments will be studied along with habitat requirements, to predict the availability of suitable wolverine habitat.
Norway