Viewpoint: Ungulate herbivory, willows, and political ecology in Yellowstone
Author
Kay, C. E.Issue Date
1997-03-01Keywords
indigenous peoplesCastor canadensis
ecological balance
national parks
Salix
history
seed productivity
riparian buffers
population dynamics
Cervus elaphus
Wyoming
plant communities
overgrazing
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Kay, C. E. (1997). Viewpoint: Ungulate herbivory, willows, and political ecology in Yellowstone. Journal of Range Management, 50(2), 139-145.Publisher
Society for Range ManagementJournal
Journal of Range ManagementDOI
10.2307/4002370Additional Links
https://rangelands.org/Abstract
Contentions that willows (Salix spp.) on Yellowstone National Park's northern range have declined because of climatic change, fire suppression, reduced chemical defenses, or other natural factors are not supported by available data. Instead, willows have declined due to repeated browsing by an unnaturally large elk population. By established standards Yellowstone contains some of the worst overgrazed willow communities in the entire West, but that was not true in earlier times. Prior to park establishment, predation by Native Americans kept elk and other ungulate numbers low which, in turn, prevented herbivores from impacting Yellowstone's plant communities, as those animals do today. Finally, the condition of willows in the park is also a test of Yellowstone's "natural regulation" program, and that paradigm must also be rejected.Type
textArticle
Language
enISSN
0022-409Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.2307/4002370