How Wolves Change Rivers | video | @GrrlScientist

Wolves are top predators that have far-reaching beneficial effects upon entire ecosystems -- including the structure of rivers.Wolves are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecosystem -- a fact that was conveniently forgotten when they were exterminated from almost all of the continental United States by ranchers, farmers, trappers and hunters.Meanwhile, the populations of other animals exploded. The entire ecosystem of the American wilderness was changed by exploding populations of large ungulates -- particularly wapiti, Cervus canadensis. (These animals are more commonly known as "elk" -- note that the narrator in the accompanying video erroneously refers to these animals as "deer", implying that they are European red deer, Cervus elaphus, which they most certainly are not.) After decades of political wrangling with those who traditionally persecuted wolves, conservation biologists and activists who supported reintroduction of wolves finally prevailed: the grey wolf, Canis lupus, was finally reintroduced several areas in the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States. One of those release areas was Yellowstone National Park. Subadult wolves from several packs in Alberta's Mackenzie Valley were captured using tranquilizer darts and released in Yellowstone in January 1995 and again in January 1996. After an absence of nearly 70 years, the beneficial influences of the reintroduced wolves almost immediately became apparent, and continue to this day. Since they are apex predato...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: theguardian.com Blogposts Biology National parks Animals Plants Zoology Environment Science Source Type: news