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https://yellowstoneinsider.com/2018/09/04/wolves-fewer-elk-yellowstone-aspen-comeback/
But with the reintroduction of wolves, the elk population has gone down significantly — from almost 20,000 in 1995 to around 7,500 in the latest estimates — and during that time scientists have documented a Yellowstone aspen comeback. That’s part of a larger picture of restoring balance to the ecosystem. The aspen already face a variety of challenges from insects and the like.
A 2010 study did not find any impact on aspen with the reintroduction of wolves, but a new study, published in the journal Ecosphere, did. Here’s a synopsis of the study from Oregon State:
This is the first large-scale study to show that aspen is recovering in areas around the park, as well as inside the park boundary, said Luke Painter, a wildlife ecologist at Oregon State University and lead author on the study. Wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995. The study shows their predation on elk is a major reason for new growth of aspen, a tree that plays an important ecological role in the American West.
Wolves are culling the elk herd, adding to the effects of bears, cougars, and hunters outside the park, which means less elk are browsing on aspen and other woody species. The presence of wolves has also resulted in most of the elk herd spending winter outside of the park, Painter said. Before wolf restoration, even when elk numbers were similarly low, most of the elk stayed in the park.
"What we're seeing in Yellowstone is the emergence of an ecosystem that is more normal for the region and one that will support greater biodiversity," Painter said. "Restoring aspen in northern Yellowstone has been a goal of the National Park Service for decades. Now they've begun to achieve that passively, by having the animals do it for them. It's a restoration success story."….
The study answers the question of whether the return of wolves to Yellowstone could have a cascading effect on ecosystems outside the park, Painter said, where there is much more human activity such as hunting, livestock grazing, and predator control. There has also been skepticism surrounding the extent and significance of aspen recovery, he said.
[Editor's Note: Related - there has been a lot of interest generated in this topic from this TED talk]
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday September 19 2018, @02:16PM (2 children)
Anywhere prey roams, predators will follow. Deer and antelope freely wander in broad daylight through my family's town 70 miles west of you; wolves can't be far behind.
There have been reports of coyotes invading the boundaries of New York City in recent years, so it seems likely we could all have strange tracks on our doorsteps.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Wednesday September 19 2018, @03:31PM
There are probably as many coyotes living within the bounds of Los Angeles as in the surrounding desert. It's a rare day when you don't see one laying dead on the freeway. Interesting population genetics paper from a few years back concluded that coyotes are actually not native to most of North America, but rather, followed man's settlements. Another paper noted that per another DNA study (IIRC in Texas), about 26% of wild coyotes had domestic dog DNA -- from crossing about 2000 years ago. Seems to me the two go hand in hand.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday September 19 2018, @04:37PM
I've seen many coyotes in Chicago, in the Loop a few years back (the Loop looks like Manhattan, for the rest of you). [nbcnews.com]
We've got Mountain Lion and Coyote territory starting a hundred yards from my house, and we can regularly hear the latter pretty close. Can't remember any attacks on humans, despite how often people go on the trails day and night. Many cats and dogs have vanished in the area, not just from car bumpers, owls, and dog-fighting rings.
I'm still a lot more worried by the humans than by the natural predators, and the stats agree with me. I wouldn't want to meet a pack of wolves, but they'd have to be pretty desperate to consider me food.