Zachary Higgins 12/12/16 Exploration Assignment 1) Observation I am taking a class called global environmental issues and heard about how reintroduction of wolves has had very positive impact in Yellowstone, but we did not go much deeper than just stating so. 2) Question How did reintroducing wolves to yellow stone positively impact diversity in the whole park? 3) Hypothesis -Reintroduction of a top predator lowered the number of over grazing herbivores, leaving a more stable amount of food for many species of herbivores. -Wolves helped to maintain exploding number of deer and elk that were hurting biodiversity in the park. 4) Predication If wolves are reintroduced in the park, then they will prey on expanding elk and deer populations …show more content…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wolves_in_Yellowstone -Yellowstone national park was founded in 1872. -When the park was founded wolf population were in declination already, protection of wolves was not provided by the park for many years. -they were governmental population control for predators that had a heavy influence on the wolves disappearing from Yellowstone. -one governmental program from the US biological survey was Animal Damage Control which alone killed over 1,500 wolves and over 20,000 coyotes in one year. -1926 marked the last few wolves being killed however, wolf sightings still occurred occasionally. Scientist stated that even though few wolves may exist populations would not be sustainable. -in 1973 the endangered species act was passed. Following the act in 1995 Yellowstone national park reintroduced grey wolves. http://www.yellowstonepark.com/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem/ (Brodie Farquhar) -yellow stone elk populations started to flourish once wolves disappeared, although grizzlies and cougars still preyed on elk it was not to the extent which wolves …show more content…
-willows started growing and became more abundant which helped bring back healthy populations of beavers now that they had more availability of a crucial food source. -Growth in beaver populations meant more dams which had multiple beneficial effects on streams and rivers. Dams slow seasonal water runoff and help to maintain a healthy water supply. The pools created by dams also created good habitats for fish. More abundance of willows made great songbird habitat. -wolves effected the elk by making them break into smaller groups and forcing them to move and hide in more wooded areas rather than stay in riparian zones where they would be hunted. - elk killed by wolves also provides vital food source for predators such as grizzlies and black bears and for scavengers such as coyotes and ravens. https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm -the grey wolf became listed as endangered in 1975, and a plan for recovery was required to be
For one, by 1980, wolves doubled to 50. By then it was apparent, ‘balance of nature’ seems to be the force that guides nature. This shows that wolves should be introduced because they are needed for balance
Wolves have always been a symbol of the wild, free in spirit and roamers of the land. These animals are considered majestic and protectors of the wilderness. They have always roamed the western United States, although their population has fluctuated over time. Over the past 10 years wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park has been a controversial topic to those of the United States. As of 1995, wolves have been reintroduced into the park. This has come with some strong opposition and yet has prevailed. The future of the wolf in Yellowstone park is now looking bright, although not certain since there still are those who want them banished again.
For the first time in 70 years, the howl of the Grey Wolf is being heard throughout Yellowstone Park (Sanders, 2000). In January of 1995, 14 wolves from separate packs in Canada were trapped and transported to Yellowstone. Once in the park the wolves were placed in one acre acclimation pens. In total there were three pens scattered across the northern portion of Yellowstone: one a Crystal Creek, another at Rose Creek, and the last at Soda Butte. During the wolves time spent in these pens they were fed winter kill, or road kill. The packs that were formed in these pens were released in the winters of 1995-1996 and also again in 1996-1997 for a second release period (Sanders, 2000). In 1995 fourteen wolves were released and in 1996 seventeen were released. In 1997 there were 64 pups born and since 1995, 33 wolves have died in the Yellowstone area.
The biggest impact the reintroduction of wolves would make is that they control the population of large mammals such as elk. Without wolves in an ecosystem coyotes step into the role of the biggest predator. However coyotes are almost 2.5 times smaller than an average wolf so they are not big enough to kill much of the elk. The elk population then increases rapidly and hurts the ecosystem. Wolves also help reduce the spreading of disease by hunting on the elk that have been injured or have diseases. It gives the wolves a better chance of taking down the large animal and prevents
Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A
While highly controversial, the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone Park has provided many beneficial ecological changes to the entire parks ecosystem. After a nearly 70 year absence, in January of 1995, 14 wolves from separate packs were captured in the Canadian Rockies and transported to Yellowstone National Park in the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (Sanders par. 2).
Not many people understand the seriousness of endangered species. Some sources go as far as trying to prove that the act does more harm than good. They do not realize how drastically their lives can be changed if one part of the food chain is taken away. In the essay “Why the Beaver Should Thank the Wolf” by Mary Hannibal, the essayist explains that a group of environmental nonprofits would challenge the federal government’s removal of Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Wyoming. Hannibal does not explain the Endangered Species Act, but according to the The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration it “provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of
“Restoring an ecologically complete ecosystem in Yellowstone requires the return of willows--and with them, beavers. There's a clear threshold for ecosystem recovery. Willow stands must be more than 6 feet tall, the scientists found. That height is important, says Marshall. Then willows are beyond the reach of browsing elk, and can serve as seed sources for new young willows. Once willows have returned, beavers will gnaw down a certain number of them to build dams. The dams will further slow stream flow, allowing yet more willows to grow. The results offer new insights on the role of wolf-driven trophic cascades in the Yellowstone ecosystem, says Hobbs. Trophic cascades like that in Yellowstone occur when predators--or the lack thereof--in an ecosystem change the abundance or alter traits of their prey, in turn affecting the next lower trophic level.” ("National Science Foundation", 2013)
Ed Yong makes very valid points on how the wolves of Yellowstone have impacted the overly populated elk herds. He has this to say about the herds; “Today the population stands at just over 6,000 down from 19,000 in the elk’s wolf-free heyday,” (ll57). This might seem like a terrible drop in the elk’s numbers, but it is actually a good thing. Yong tells us, “The large deer had run amok in the wolf-free decades, causing serious damage to the park’s trees,” (ll5-6). So in reality, while there are far less elk now, the trees can start to build back up again.
population and other things within the valley. The wolves did not have an easy life due to the
This all happened because yellowstone was named one of the many rehabilitation places where the gray wolf species would recover after almost being whipt out entirely in the west of the rockies.The wolves were brought to yellowstone from another part of the country.The rehabilitation was called a success so the federal government made a ackt to tack them of the endangered species list after a so called complete recovery but the scientist said that the wolves were not yet at a point to go to the game and wildlife control so they sud the government to stop them frum taking them of the endangered species
The state legislature has favored the ranching industry above ecology and continues to do so. Public polls “conducted by Boise State indicate that the overwhelming majority of Idahoans (nearly 70 percent) support wolf restoration” (Laverty, par. 4) and the legislature is seeking to remedy this by re-educating the public with “a balanced view of the impact of wolves on big game species, those sectors of the economy dependent upon sport hunting, livestock, domestic animals, and humans” (State, 3). Furthermore, the “cost of wolf reintroduction will be presented as a part of any public education program including direct and indirect costs” (State, 3).
These were all key factors to their near extinction. In 1974 the wolves were placed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), but were not protected for long. Many environmentalist agreed with this act because environmentalist knew how crucial this keystone specie was to the ecosystem. Without the grey wolves existence, the whole rest of the ecosystem would not function properly. Unfortunately, around the 1960s, the gray wolf population was basically extinct, which resulted in a huge controversy. Luckily, “In 1995, the first 14 wolves were introduced to the Yellowstone National Park to increase the wolf population”(Transplanted) that had been decreasing gradually. Over the years more Canadian wolves were introduced to the Yellowstone National park to increase the wolf population. This procedure was successful because the wolf population throughout the Yellowstone region was on the rise. The long term goal for the environmentalists and Yellowstone park rangers would be to have around 1,000 wolves roaming the region.
In this article, authors William Ripple and Robert Beschta focus on the issue of predation and the way it affects biodiversity and otherwise alters ecosystems. While many other studies have stressed the lethal effects of predation by carnivores, the authors of this study have chosen to focus on how nonlethal outcomes of predation affect the structure and function of ecosystems. The authors give two main objectives to their study: first to provide a short synthesis of the potential ecosystem responses to predation risk in a three-level trophic cascade involving large carnivores, hoofed animals, and vegetation; and secondly to present research that centers on wolves, elk, and woody browse species in the northern area of Yellowstone National
Out hunting their human counterparts and scaring passerby, the grey wolf has long been considered a menace. As a predator, many people refuse to view them as a creature to be protected and in an attempt to reduce their population, Congress declared open season on their species, leading their almost being hunted nearly to extinction. At their lowest point, they numbered in at about 1,400 (Center for Biological Diversity); a fraction of their earliest numbers. As an endangered species there are a few programs put in place whose purpose is to maintain/swell the numbers of Canis Lupus in their old regions (Iowa, Wisconsin, and Utah). These programs included the Center for Biological Diversity, the Human Society and the Endangered Species Association. The mandate that allowed the gray