Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems?
We investigated how large carnivores, herbivores, and plants may be linked to the maintenance of native species biodiversity through trophic cascades. The extirpation of wolves (Canis lupus) from Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1920s and their reintroduction in 1995 provided the opportunity to...
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ftoregonstate:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:fj236278h 2024-04-14T08:10:09+00:00 Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? Ripple, William J. Beschta, Robert L. Forest Ecosystems and Society https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/fj236278h English [eng] eng unknown American Institute of Biological Sciences https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/fj236278h Copyright Not Evaluated Article ftoregonstate 2024-03-21T15:46:32Z We investigated how large carnivores, herbivores, and plants may be linked to the maintenance of native species biodiversity through trophic cascades. The extirpation of wolves (Canis lupus) from Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1920s and their reintroduction in 1995 provided the opportunity to examine the cascading effects of carnivore–herbivore interactions on woody browse species, as well as ecological responses involving riparian functions, beaver (Castor canadensis) populations, and general food webs. Our results indicate that predation risk may have profound effects on the structure of ecosystems and is an important constituent of native biodiversity. Our conclusions are based on theory involving trophic cascades, predation risk, and optimal foraging; on the research literature; and on our own recent studies in Yellowstone National Park. Additional research is needed to understand how the lethal effects of predation interact with its nonlethal effects to structure ecosystems. Keywords: Wolves, Ungulates, Trophic cascades, Predation risk, Woody browse species Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus ScholarsArchive@OSU (Oregon State University) |
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ScholarsArchive@OSU (Oregon State University) |
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ftoregonstate |
language |
English unknown |
description |
We investigated how large carnivores, herbivores, and plants may be linked to the maintenance of native species biodiversity through trophic cascades. The extirpation of wolves (Canis lupus) from Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1920s and their reintroduction in 1995 provided the opportunity to examine the cascading effects of carnivore–herbivore interactions on woody browse species, as well as ecological responses involving riparian functions, beaver (Castor canadensis) populations, and general food webs. Our results indicate that predation risk may have profound effects on the structure of ecosystems and is an important constituent of native biodiversity. Our conclusions are based on theory involving trophic cascades, predation risk, and optimal foraging; on the research literature; and on our own recent studies in Yellowstone National Park. Additional research is needed to understand how the lethal effects of predation interact with its nonlethal effects to structure ecosystems. Keywords: Wolves, Ungulates, Trophic cascades, Predation risk, Woody browse species |
author2 |
Forest Ecosystems and Society |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ripple, William J. Beschta, Robert L. |
spellingShingle |
Ripple, William J. Beschta, Robert L. Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
author_facet |
Ripple, William J. Beschta, Robert L. |
author_sort |
Ripple, William J. |
title |
Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
title_short |
Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
title_full |
Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
title_fullStr |
Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Wolves and the Ecology of Fear: Can Predation Risk Structure Ecosystems? |
title_sort |
wolves and the ecology of fear: can predation risk structure ecosystems? |
publisher |
American Institute of Biological Sciences |
url |
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/fj236278h |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_relation |
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/fj236278h |
op_rights |
Copyright Not Evaluated |
_version_ |
1796307652334059520 |