Posted on 08/30/2011 4:41:07 PM PDT by decimon
CORVALLIS, Ore. – As wolf populations grow in parts of the West, most of the focus has been on their value in aiding broader ecosystem recovery – but a new study from Oregon State University also points out that they could play an important role in helping to save other threatened species.
In research published today in Wildlife Society Bulletin, scientists suggest that a key factor in the Canada lynx being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act is the major decline of snowshoe hares. The loss of hares, the primary food of the lynx, in turn may be caused by coyote populations that have surged in the absence of wolves. Scientists call this a “trophic cascade” of impacts.
The increase in these secondary “mesopredators” has caused significant ecosystem disruption and, in this case, possibly contributed to the decline of a threatened species, the scientists say.
“The increase in mesopredators such as coyotes is a serious issue; their populations are now much higher than they used to be when wolves were common in most areas of the United States,” said William Ripple, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at OSU.
“Before they were largely extirpated, wolves used to kill coyotes and also disrupt their behavior through what we call the ‘ecology of fear,’” Ripple said. “Coyotes have a flexible, wide-ranging diet, but they really prefer rabbits and hares, and they may also be killing lynx directly.”
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonstate.edu ...
Coyotes killing Lynx?
Color me skeptical.
Yes, they can save many endangered species by eating... people.
There are villages in the winter that dare not use a dog sled between them because of the wolf packs up here in Alaska. I am sure that would make the liberals happy. Most people in the villages think it sucks.
They could just put a bounty on coyotes.
They didn’t kill the lynxes, they killed all the snowshoe hares and caused the lynxes to starve.
It does say direct killing of lynx.
I'd think that a lynx would hold off a single coyote but a pack would be a different story.
Does a wolf eat a dead coyote or just leave it alone? If that is what happens, the wolf also eats snowhares and contributes to its population decline.
If not, then, wolves, go for it.
Sounds like more envro wacko feel good stuff to justify more wolves and less hunting of them
Oh, it’s a dog eat dog world all right.........
(couldn’t resist ping)
It would surprise me too if a lynx was to perish even a pack of wolves as long as a tree is nearby.
Probably only a couple of coyotes could take down a starving, weakened lynx. More likely, they’re decimating the cub population as Momma lynx has to forage farther away from the den for food.
Hitler was an animal worshiper.
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