In Yellowstone National Park, wolves are helping grizzly bears get fat.
You read that right. Researchers from Oregon State University and
Washington State University found that the percentage of fruit in
grizzly bear droppings nearly doubled for the month of August since the
return of the wolves. What do wolves have to do with fruit?
There are several fruits in Yellowstone that the grizzly bears
love: serviceberry, chokecherry, buffaloberry, twinberry, and
huckleberry among others. When the wolves were eradicated in
Yellowstone, the elk had a field day with the trees and shrubs of
Yellowstone. Over-browsing elk herds reduced the number of fruits the
bears could eat.
The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone
has kept the elk herds on the move, reducing herbivory, and giving the
bears greater access to the fruits. The fruits are important to the
bears in August as a means of fattening up for the winter. Researchers
noted that increasing variety in the bears' diets is important in the
face of global climate change; where some food sources may fail, others
will be able to take their place. Also, it would be preferable from a
human perspective if that other food source is berries, not livestock.
Picture courtesy of:
http://
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
In Yellowstone National Park, wolves are helping grizzly bears get fat.
You read that right. Researchers from Oregon State University and Washington State University found that the percentage of fruit in grizzly bear droppings nearly doubled for the month of August since the return of the wolves. What do wolves have to do with fruit?
There are several fruits in Yellowstone that the grizzly bears love: serviceberry, chokecherry, buffaloberry, twinberry, and huckleberry among others. When the wolves were eradicated in Yellowstone, the elk had a field day with the trees and shrubs of Yellowstone. Over-browsing elk herds reduced the number of fruits the bears could eat.
The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone has kept the elk herds on the move, reducing herbivory, and giving the bears greater access to the fruits. The fruits are important to the bears in August as a means of fattening up for the winter. Researchers noted that increasing variety in the bears' diets is important in the face of global climate change; where some food sources may fail, others will be able to take their place. Also, it would be preferable from a human perspective if that other food source is berries, not livestock.
Picture courtesy of:
http://
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
You read that right. Researchers from Oregon State University and Washington State University found that the percentage of fruit in grizzly bear droppings nearly doubled for the month of August since the return of the wolves. What do wolves have to do with fruit?
There are several fruits in Yellowstone that the grizzly bears love: serviceberry, chokecherry, buffaloberry, twinberry, and huckleberry among others. When the wolves were eradicated in Yellowstone, the elk had a field day with the trees and shrubs of Yellowstone. Over-browsing elk herds reduced the number of fruits the bears could eat.
The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone has kept the elk herds on the move, reducing herbivory, and giving the bears greater access to the fruits. The fruits are important to the bears in August as a means of fattening up for the winter. Researchers noted that increasing variety in the bears' diets is important in the face of global climate change; where some food sources may fail, others will be able to take their place. Also, it would be preferable from a human perspective if that other food source is berries, not livestock.
Picture courtesy of:
http://
Sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
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