Yellowtone National Park Case Study

Hawaii and Yellowstone are two of the most visited places each year because of their beautiful surroundings. What most people don't know about these places is that under the earth's crust molten lava is ripping each apart piece by piece. While Yellowstone is known as a super volcano, the big island of Hawaii is made up of five different volcanoes. They could both erupt at any minute. Those aren't the only similarities and differences of Yellowstone and Hawaii though.

area’s native wolf and grizzly bear population. Tourism to the area has also prompted Yellowstone’s Lake Trout problem, believed to

“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.

When herbivorous species such as white-tailed deer and elks are the main predators in a habitat, they create an imbalance in the habitat, and force other species in the habitat to go extinct. Natural predation also has a stronger impact in stabilizing or reducing the population of white-tailed deer than human hunting alone. One of the main reasons for the overpopulation of the deer was the extinction of their predators. Every animal in the food web is highly important in keeping the balance in the ecosystem. Yellowstone National Park was a great example of how every species support the

The Yaak Valley of Northern Montana is one of the most biodiverse areas of untouched wilderness in the contiguous United States. This is due in large part to its geographical position between the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest and the dry and mountainous Northern Rockies. According to the Yaak Valley Forest Council, the valley is home to a variety of rare species including but not limited to: inland redband rainbow trout, bull trout, wolverine, lynx, fisher, coeur d 'alene salamander, great gray owl, westslope cutthroat trout, flammulated owl, short-head sculpin, boreal owl, peregrine falcon, wavy moonwort, kidney-leaved violet, bog birch, and Grizzly Bears (About The Yaak, 2015). The Yaak Valley holds a unique biodiversity and supports a rich and thriving ecosystem. Once this biodiversity is lost, we could not recover this ecosystem and

In Yellowstone National Park, scientists have been carefully documenting the impacts of wolves on the ecosystem, noting many changes for the better since reintroduction, (Berger et al. 2008; Beschta and Ripple 2010). As the ecosystem depends on the Gray Wolf to properly function predation, the wolves also regulate distribution and group size of each species, which impacts overall native biodiversity. Wolves primarily prey on large hoofed mammals such as deers, elk and moose. By preying on the most vulnerable (diseased, young, old, weak or injured) individuals, wolves can help keep prey populations more healthy and strong, (Carbyn

In contrast, the lecturer dismisses this point due to the fact that the animals population such as deers were recovered since there exiset new opputunities for them in the park. He says that the smal plant which grew after the Yellowstone park were good habitats for the smal animals like rabits. With the growth of the rabit population, the population of their predators also will increase. Accordingly, yhe food chains will be

Lava flows of rhyolite and basalt have flowed through parts of Yellowstone as recently as 70,000 years ago. These lava flows destroyed everything in their paths while moving slowly at a rate of a few hundred feet per day, flowing months, or sometimes even several years. They are thick and cover as much as 130 square miles. They have nearly filled the Yellowstone Caldera, and spilled beyond the caldera’s border. These lava flows are responsible for forming four of the nine named plateaus in

Although Colorado’s growing population may be beneficial for the economy and social standings in our country, it poses some ecological concerns. According to the Colorado State Demography Office, Colorado’s population has grown by nearly 75% since 1985 (Figure 1). In fact, Larimer County’s population has doubled in that same time period. It has become evident that changes in Colorado’s landscape have been altered due to this population boom. It is within our best interest to evaluate the ecological concerns associated with such anthropogenic disturbances, specifically along the Front Range of Larimer County. By observing and sampling areas where black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) have settled, and where they

Yellowstone became a national park in 1872, it is a proud monument to America’s wilderness and an incredibly vast park, over 3,500 miles. This park was once characterized by the Grey Wolf whom presided over it. Now, as you and I understand National parks are protected from hunting, fishing, forestry and other man made interferences in mother nature’s design. When Yellowstone was established officially there was no legislation preventing the hunting of the pack predator, so in the way humans tend to, the wolf was over hunted and made locally extinct in the 1930’s. At the time there was no evident reason for the protection of wolves, in fact they were a menace to American

Then, smaller animal populations, such as rodents, rabbits, and insects decreased because the plants they depended on for food were now less abundant. In addition, the number of foxes, hawks, and owls that prey on smaller animals and the number of ravens, eagles, and other scavengers that eat wolf kill decreased. Therefore, the initial disappearance of wolves resulted in communities with considerably less biodiversity. However, once wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, substantial changes occurred for other species in the park. The top predators’ effects have ranged from altering relationships among predator and prey species to transforming vegetation profiles. For example, coyotes are potential prey for wolves, and wolf packs have decimated some coyote populations. The reduction in coyotes had allowed populations of the coyotes’ prey, such as ground squirrels and chipmunks, to increase. Also, scavengers such as ravens, bald eagles, and grizzly bears have benefited from eating the scraps from wolf kills. In addition, it is predicted that a decrease in wolves prey such as elk should cause broader, long-term impacts. A decline in elk population would

More than 900 species known on planet Earth have gone extinct (Endangered). Some, however, have been saved from extinction. One big contributor to this cause is the National Park Service, an organization founded in 1916 to protect the remaining wild places in our world. Now the National Park Service preserves over 6000 areas throughout the world, with over 275 million visitors each year (United, “What”; National, “National”). The National Park Service plays an essential role in preserving wildlife on Earth by teaching and acting to preserve species.

Thank you for sharing. The older I get the less hope I have for humanity. I however have great hope in the ability of the earth to cleanse, renew, and restore itself from the damages we humans have inflicted upon it.  I shall now return to my chant "Yellowstone, Yellowstone,  Yellowstone!" Does anyone else ever feel this way? The only evil I've ever experienced has come from the minds, hearts, bodies and souls of humankind. We are the devils we fear. I purpose we can also aspire to be hosts of angelic proportion. It is by choice of action life ensues, my god where has wisdom gone? The wisdom to seek creation verses distruction, life instead of death for there are but two paths in a miriad of choices that make up ones life. Which path do you

The Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park in the world and covers more than two million acres in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. (The National Parks: Index 2009 – 2011) Within the traditionally defined biome classifications based on precipitation and temperature levels, the Yellowstone National Park falls in the boreal forest classification with its annual precipitation at 517.65 mm and average annual temperature at 0.67 degrees Celsius. (Woodward, 2004) (U.S. Climate Data) There is a wide range of heterogeneity in the vegetation in this park due to the vast amount of land it covers.