Predators and Ecosystems

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Tuesday, March 11. 2014

Predators and Ecosystems

Top predators are essential to maintaining some sort of wobbly balances in ecosystems, but is their role overrated?

Rethinking predators: Legend of the wolf

As Moose populations gradually rebound in New England, and as White-Tailed Deer become pests in some areas because of lack of hunters and of predators, I am all in favor of bringing Wolves back to our neighborhood. Wolves kill coyotes, so there's that benefit too.

Posted by Bird Dog in Natural History and Conservation, Our Essays at 16:21 | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0)

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How Wolves Change Rivers, or a Trophic Cascade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q

#1 Zachriel on 2014-03-11 17:25 (Reply)

The only problem you have with the whole "Bring back the Wolf" thing is that they are going to find a whole lot of household pets and small children that are easier prey than 'yotes or Whitetail Deer.

Like the Cougar, or Panther, or whatever y'all want to call them, there were reasons quite beyond the attacks on cattle that people took to shooting them on sight.

Farm families were as likely to kill them on sight as anyone was. They will eat anything they can kill, and that includes your kids, you, or your elderly neighbors.

Just saying......

#2 jefferson101 on 2014-03-11 19:11 (Reply)

Wolves? Google "Little Red Riding Hood" for the facts.

The Grizzly bear was once native to San Francisco. I have been lobbying for their reintroduction for many years. Write your congress critter now!

#3 Mystery Meat on 2014-03-11 20:06 (Reply)

Seems these scientists think they can reduce incredibly complex systems to something as understandable and predictable as a ball on a spring. See climate discussion in previous post.

#4 Mark on 2014-03-11 20:21 (Reply)

For the elk hunters in the inter-mountain west, wolf introduction has really cut down on the hunting with many reports of hunters not filling their tags.

In the past western ranchers have taken the route of shoot, shovel, shut up.

#5 Chris P on 2014-03-11 20:53 (Reply)

Farm families were as likely to kill them on sight

Or trap them, then kill them on sight. Ranchers even more so, but I don't know if anyone still raises sheep and cows in that area. Hard to justify a farm, let alone pasture, when land is so expensive.

OTOH, thinning the liberal population and arming teens with shotguns and rifles so that they could protect the children would be a win.

#6 chuck on 2014-03-11 20:54 (Reply)

What's wrong with coyotes?

When there are few coyotes in the Tobacco Plains, I have gophers in my lawn and mice in my cabin. I like coyotes.

Besides, their howling late at night terrifies my liberal city friends and makes them like my guns.

#7 Fred Z on 2014-03-11 21:56 (Reply)

The article brought out some of the good results of the wolves (or at least what the author theought were good results). There is a large number of negative results from the wolves too. I predict this will backfire and we will spend good money to reverse or control this.

#8 GoneWithTheWind on 2014-03-11 23:32 (Reply)

There's no mention of the Lotka Volterra equation.

#9 rhhardin (Link) on 2014-03-12 06:44 (Reply)

There is a solution for too many deer: longer hunting seasons and more tags. DUH.

Trust me, you don't want to reintroduce wolves. I live in a state where the elk population has been decimated by the reintroduction of wolves. I have seen elk near my house (suburbia, more or less), which is completely abnormal for elk in our area.

The cattle ranchers are also dealing with wolf problems right and left...I couldn't even imagine what would happen if you reintroduced wolves into a more populated eastern state. Are you also considered reintroducing grizzly bears?

Modern wildlife management should be more responsible than introducing a dangerous predator into an area full of human beings! You are just asking for trouble....

#10 MissT on 2014-03-12 11:00 (Reply)

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Tuesday, March 11. 2014

Predators and Ecosystems