Date: August 30, 2018
Source: Oregon State University
Summary:
The
reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park is tied to the recovery
of aspen in areas around the park, according to a new study.
The study
was published today in the journal Ecosphere.
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."
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