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I remember reading that the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone had a much bigger positive impact than expected. I’m sure this is an oversimplification of a

I remember reading that the introduction of wolves into Yellowstone had a much bigger positive impact than expected. I’m sure this is an oversimplification of a complex ecosystem-wide impact, but my understanding is that the effect is mostly that it forces deer and elk to stay on the move, making it easier for certain types of plants and trees to survive.

throwup238 3y ago
> I’m sure this is an oversimplification of a complex ecosystem-wide impact, but my understanding is that the effect is mostly that it forces deer and elk to stay on the move, making it easier for certain types of plants and trees to survive. After most of the wolves were wiped out we discovered the concept of keystone predators [1] that keep other predators and herbivores in check so that they don't go through catastrophic boom and bust cycles. Part of that is moving them around more but also just plain population control. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_species#The_wolf,_Yellowstone's_apex_predator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_species#The_wolf,_Yel...
hombre_fatal 3y ago
It’s annoying to find the best source on mobile but I’m pretty sure the Yellowstone wolf claim has been debunked with the paper even being retracted by its authors. Worth doing the cursory google search.