The sizes of both populations are interconnected. When the moose population reaches its highest point, the wolf population it at its lowest. At this point, the wolf population has excess of food available, therefore, they are able to reproduce at a high rate. As the wolf population continues to increase, they require more food, thus, the moose population begins to decline. Once, the wolf population reaches its highest point, the moose population is at its lowest. Consequently, the wolf population suffers a food shortage, hence, they begin to decrease, while the moose population starts to recover. This “boom and bust” cycle shows that both populations have a predictable population cycle, due to the fact that they are connected in a predator-prey
