Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf?
Historically the wolf (Canis lupus) was hated and extirpated from most of the contiguous United States. The federal Endangered Species Act fostered wolf protection and reintroduction which improved the species’ image. Wolf populations reached biological recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains and u...
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ftutahsudc:oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:aspen_bib-8372 2023-11-12T04:15:37+01:00 Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? Mech, L. David 2012-01-01T08:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/aspen_bib/7374 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 unknown Hosted by Utah State University Libraries https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/aspen_bib/7374 doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. Aspen Bibliography Canis lupus Elk National parks Predation Trophic cascades Wolf Yellowstone Banff Agriculture Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Forest Sciences Genetics and Genomics Plant Sciences text 2012 ftutahsudc https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 2023-10-19T17:41:29Z Historically the wolf (Canis lupus) was hated and extirpated from most of the contiguous United States. The federal Endangered Species Act fostered wolf protection and reintroduction which improved the species’ image. Wolf populations reached biological recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest, and the animal has been delisted from the Endangered Species List in those areas. Numerous studies in National Parks suggest that wolves, through trophic cascades, have caused ecosystems to change in ways many people consider positive. Several studies have been conducted in Yellowstone National Park where wolf interactions with their prey, primarily elk (Cervus elaphus), are thought to have caused reduction of numbers or changes in movements and behavior. Some workers consider the latter changes to have led to a behaviorally-mediated trophic cascade. Either the elk reduction or the behavioral changes are hypothesized to have fostered growth in browse, primarily willows (Salix spp.) and aspen (Populusspp.), and that growth has resulted in increased beavers (Castor Canadensis), songbirds, and hydrologic changes. The wolf’s image thus has gained an iconic cachet. However, later research challenges several earlier studies’ findings such that earlier conclusions are now controversial, especially those related to causes of browse regrowth. In any case, any such cascading effects of wolves found in National Parks would have little relevance to most of the wolf range because of overriding anthropogenic influences there on wolves, prey, vegetation, and other parts of the food web. The wolf is neither a saint nor a sinner except to those who want to make it so. Text Canis lupus Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU Biological Conservation 150 1 143 149 |
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Utah State University: DigitalCommons@USU |
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ftutahsudc |
language |
unknown |
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Canis lupus Elk National parks Predation Trophic cascades Wolf Yellowstone Banff Agriculture Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Forest Sciences Genetics and Genomics Plant Sciences |
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Canis lupus Elk National parks Predation Trophic cascades Wolf Yellowstone Banff Agriculture Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Forest Sciences Genetics and Genomics Plant Sciences Mech, L. David Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
topic_facet |
Canis lupus Elk National parks Predation Trophic cascades Wolf Yellowstone Banff Agriculture Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Forest Sciences Genetics and Genomics Plant Sciences |
description |
Historically the wolf (Canis lupus) was hated and extirpated from most of the contiguous United States. The federal Endangered Species Act fostered wolf protection and reintroduction which improved the species’ image. Wolf populations reached biological recovery in the Northern Rocky Mountains and upper Midwest, and the animal has been delisted from the Endangered Species List in those areas. Numerous studies in National Parks suggest that wolves, through trophic cascades, have caused ecosystems to change in ways many people consider positive. Several studies have been conducted in Yellowstone National Park where wolf interactions with their prey, primarily elk (Cervus elaphus), are thought to have caused reduction of numbers or changes in movements and behavior. Some workers consider the latter changes to have led to a behaviorally-mediated trophic cascade. Either the elk reduction or the behavioral changes are hypothesized to have fostered growth in browse, primarily willows (Salix spp.) and aspen (Populusspp.), and that growth has resulted in increased beavers (Castor Canadensis), songbirds, and hydrologic changes. The wolf’s image thus has gained an iconic cachet. However, later research challenges several earlier studies’ findings such that earlier conclusions are now controversial, especially those related to causes of browse regrowth. In any case, any such cascading effects of wolves found in National Parks would have little relevance to most of the wolf range because of overriding anthropogenic influences there on wolves, prey, vegetation, and other parts of the food web. The wolf is neither a saint nor a sinner except to those who want to make it so. |
format |
Text |
author |
Mech, L. David |
author_facet |
Mech, L. David |
author_sort |
Mech, L. David |
title |
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
title_short |
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
title_full |
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
title_fullStr |
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
title_sort |
is science in danger of sanctifying the wolf? |
publisher |
Hosted by Utah State University Libraries |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/aspen_bib/7374 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Aspen Bibliography |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/aspen_bib/7374 doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 |
op_rights |
Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.03.003 |
container_title |
Biological Conservation |
container_volume |
150 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
143 |
op_container_end_page |
149 |
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1782332898168274944 |