New research project
seeks to replicate Concord work in Wyoming
Posted by Richard
Primack
In September I
traveled to Wyoming to meet with ecologists Corrina Riginos and Geneva Chong
who plan to monitor the effects of climate change on the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem. Their project will be similar to our work with Thoreau and Concord, building
on past observations made by the noted naturalist Frank Craighead.
Figure 1. Geneva, Corinna, and me in the foothills of the Tetons.
After a visit to
Teton National Park, we had a two-day field trip to Yellowstone National Park.
This was particularly exciting for me as examples from Yellowstone have been featured in
editions of my conservation biology textbooks. After two days in the park, I concluded that Yellowstone
features world-class large mammals, geothermal features, and mountain scenery
in a safe and accessible setting. The highlight
of the trip was watching a pack of ten wolves playing in a field. The enormous number of tourists was
surprising, and this was not even the height of the season.
Figure 2. Bison grazing in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone. Note that there is minimal regeneration of tree seedlings.
I came to understand
that the bison, wolves, elk, and bear are all extensively managed by park
officials, so that Yellowstone is not a true wilderness. The simple story that
wolves were re-introduced to the park, controlled elk numbers, and allowed the
vegetation and ecosystem processes to return to their natural balance, is an
over-simplification of a complicated story.
Figure 3. Tourists at Prism Lake, with bright orange
bacterial streaks growing in association with hot mineral water. These bacteria
contribute enzymes that are important in the high temperature reactions used in
the biotechnology industry.
