Ecology: Predator and Prey

Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior, has provided an important study site of wolves and their prey. In the National Park Service Scientific Monograph Series 11, Wolf Ecology and Prey Relationships on Isle Royale, Peterson gives results of many wolf-moose studies. Of special interest is the study of the number of moose killed by wolves. In the period from 1958 to 1974, there were 296 moose deaths identified as wolf kills. The age distribution of the kill is

Age of moose in yrs:Calf (0.5 yr)1-56-1011-1516-20

# killed by wolves:1085474564

(a) For each age group, compute the probability that a moose in that age group is killed by a wolf. (Round your answers to three decimal places.

)0.5

1-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

(b) Consider all ages in a class equal to the class midpoint. Find the expected age of a moose killed by a wolf and the standard deviation of the ages. (Round your answers to two decimal places.)

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