Reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone helped entire ecosystem thrive, 20-year study finds

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Reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone helped entire ecosystem thrive, 20-year study finds

A new study calculates the long-term effects of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s, which ultimately helped willow trees that feed wildlife in stream habitats.

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The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, in the United States, has dramatically restored the local ecosystem, according to a recent study. By analyzing data spanning 20 years, biologists have seen a 1,500 percent increase in the volume of willow crowns along streams, notably through the regulation of the elk population by large predators. This has triggered a so-called "trophic" cascade effect, which has benefited [...] This ar…