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Hareless: Yellowstone's rabbits have vanished, study says
February 15, 2008A new study by the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society found that jack rabbits living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem have apparently hopped into oblivion. The study, which appears in the latest issue of the journal Oryx, also speculates that the disappearance of jack rabbits may be having region-wide impacts on a variety of other prey species and their predators.
According to the study, historical records from more than 130 years ago indicate that white-tailed jack rabbits were once locally abundant in Greater Yellowstone, a 60,000 square kilometer (23,166 square mile) ecosystem that contains both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. However, the WCS study found that no jack rabbit sightings could be confirmed in Yellowstone since 1991 and only three in Grand Teton since 1978.
No one knows what caused the rabbits to disappear, according to the study's lead author, Dr. Joel Berger, a Wildlife Conservation Society conservationist, and professor at the University of Montana. "It could be disease, extreme weather, predation or other factors," Dr. Berger said. "Since the rabbits blipped off without knowledge, there has simply been no way to get at the underlying cause."
Dr. Berger believes that the absence of jack rabbits - historically important prey species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - may be causing elevated predation by coyotes on juvenile elk, pronghorn and other ungulates. Elsewhere, when rabbit densities drop predators often turn to preying more on livestock, according to the study. But without baseline data on rabbit numbers in Greater Yellowstone, assessing the impacts of predators such as grey wolves, which were reintroduced in 1995, becomes more difficult.
"Lacking a sense of historical conditions, it will always be difficult to decide whether current systems function ecologically like past ones," said Dr. Berger.
Berger goes on to suggest that wildlife managers should consider reintroduction of white-tailed jack rabbits into Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. "Reintroduction may result in the establishment of dynamic ecological processes that were intact before rabbits vanished from the ecosystem," Dr. Berger said. "From the perspective of ecological health and wildlife conservation, reintroduction would also show that species loss has serious ecological costs."
Wildlife Conservation Society
Dr. Berger believes that the absence of jack rabbits - historically important prey species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - may be causing elevated predation by coyotes on juvenile elk, pronghorn and other ungulates. Elsewhere, when rabbit densities drop predators often turn to preying more on livestock, according to the study. But without baseline data on rabbit numbers in Greater Yellowstone, assessing the impacts of predators such as grey wolves, which were reintroduced in 1995, becomes more difficult.
"Lacking a sense of historical conditions, it will always be difficult to decide whether current systems function ecologically like past ones," said Dr. Berger.
Berger goes on to suggest that wildlife managers should consider reintroduction of white-tailed jack rabbits into Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. "Reintroduction may result in the establishment of dynamic ecological processes that were intact before rabbits vanished from the ecosystem," Dr. Berger said. "From the perspective of ecological health and wildlife conservation, reintroduction would also show that species loss has serious ecological costs."
Wildlife Conservation Society
Yellowstone Current Events and Yellowstone News RSSEarth's early ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier than thought: Stanford study
The scalding-hot sea that supposedly covered the early Earth may in fact never have existed, according to a new study by Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in 3.4 billion-year-old ocean floor rocks.
Early life on Earth may have developed more quickly than thought
The Earth's climate was far cooler - perhaps more than 50 degrees - billions of years ago, which could mean conditions for life all over the planet were more conducive than previously believed, according to a research team that includes a Texas A&M University expert who specializes in geobiology.
Wolves, moose and biodiversity: An unexpected connection
Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity?
Wolves lose their predatory edge in mid-life, new U of Minnesota study shows
Although most wolves in Yellowstone National Park live to be nearly six years old, their ability to kill prey peaks when they are two to three, according to a study led by Dan MacNulty and recently published online by Ecology Letters.
Loss of top predators causing surge in smaller predators, ecosystem collapse
The catastrophic decline around the world of "apex" predators such as wolves, cougars, lions or sharks has led to a huge increase in smaller "mesopredators" that are causing major economic and ecological disruptions, a new study concludes.
'Rosetta Stone' of supervolcanoes discovered in Italian Alps
Scientists have found the "Rosetta Stone" of supervolcanoes, those giant pockmarks in the Earth's surface produced by rare and massive explosive eruptions that rank among nature's most violent events. The eruptions produce devastation on a regional scale - and possibly trigger climatic and environmental effects at a global scale.
Wolf reintroduction proposed in Scottish Highland test case
Researchers are proposing in a new report that a major experiment be conducted to reintroduce wolves to a test site in the Scottish Highlands, to help control the populations and behavior of red deer that in the past 250 years have changed the whole nature of large ecosystems.
Cover of Journal shows cell infected by virus first viewed by MSU scientists
The June cover of the Journal of Virology features a photograph of the unusual effects on a cell infected by a virus. Montana State University researchers were the first to view the virus, which they collected from a boiling, acidic spring in Yellowstone.
Greater Yellowstone elk suffer worse nutrition and lower birth rates due to wolves
Wolves have caused elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to change their behavior and foraging habits so much so that herds are having fewer calves, mainly due to changes in their nutrition.
Professor hopes to help high elevation pines grow
Thread-like fungi that grow in soils at high elevations may play an important role in restoring whitebark and limber pine forests in Canada.
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Yellowstone Treasures: The Traveler's Companion to the National Park by Janet Chapple (Author) The first and oldest national park in the world can be enjoyed mile by mile with this complete travel guide. Along with fascinating facts and anecdotes, readers will learn of Yellowstone's geyser basins and the frequency of the geysers, out-of-the-way hikes, and flora and fauna. Easy-to-understand scientific explanations and diagrams complement an array of short walks, the right season for camping, and the park’s campgrounds and facilities. Updated road logs highlight more than 100 historical points of interest, including the often misidentified locale from which artist Thomas Moran painted his “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” masterpiece and where five stagecoach robberies occurred along the Grand Loop Road. New text examines areas that have changed... |
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Yellowstone: Battle for Life [Blu-ray] Starring: Artist Not Provided In a land of beauty and peril, the dramatic lives and fortunes of these animals are inexorably bound together. Intimate and emotional, epic and engaging, Yellowstone - Tales from the Wild reveals the grandeur of this unique place as its animals struggle to survive over the course of three vividly changing seasons. |
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Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks (Park Guides) by Eric Peterson (Author) Frommer's Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks is packed with all the facts, tips and descriptions you need to have perfect park vacation, in a pocket size guide: The most memorable park experiences, from Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs, to Snake River raft trips. Great places to stay in and near the parks, ranging from historic lodges to family-friendly motels—plus a complete campground guide for each park. A fully illustrated nature guide to help you spot and identify bald eagles, bison, wildflowers, and more. The best hikes, from ranger-led interpretive walks to challenging backcountry overnights. What to see and do outside of the parks: rodeos, chuckwagon feeds, IMAX nature films, an elk preserve, Jackson Hole’s bars and boutiques, and... |
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Photographing Yellowstone National Park: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them by Gustav W. Verderber (Author) Expert photography advice the author provided to visitors to Yellowstone when he served there as the Kodak Ambassador in Yellowstone National Park. This guide is designed to allow the average visitor to comfortably manage the vast abundance of subjects within Yellowstone National Park and to answer the crucial questions of what is worth photographing and how to do that in a way that will result in postcard-perfect photos of the park's landscapes and wildlife. An appendix provides a suggested itinerary to plan a visit to each district. No park visitor should be without it. 4 maps. |
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Yellowstone: Battle for Life Starring: Artist Not Provided In a land of beauty and peril, the dramatic lives and fortunes of these animals are inexorably bound together. Intimate and emotional, epic and engaging, Yellowstone - Tales from the Wild reveals the grandeur of this unique place as its animals struggle to survive over the course of three vividly changing seasons. |
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Ranger's Guide to Yellowstone Day Hikes, A by Roger Anderson (Author), Carol Shively Anderson (Author), Roger, Anderson (Author), Carol Shively Anderson (Author) Two park rangers invite you off the beaten path and into the heart of Yellowstone. No matter your age or abilities, the park has hikes to suit your interests. Features 29 day hikes of different lengths and levels of difficulty. Each hike in the book has a contour map, color photograph, narrative about natural and human history, botany, geology, and other highlights along the trail. Visit FarcountryPress.com for more information. |
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Treasures of America's National Parks: Yellowstone Starring: Artist Not Provided Stunning high definition cinematography captures the sweeping beauty and extraordinary natural wonders of two of America's premier National Parks. Llama trekking, wolf watching and geyser gazing are just a few of the out-of-the-ordinary activities that await you in Yellowstone. Go Inside Grand Teton National Park to saddle up for a working dude ranch, feel the rush of whitewater rafting and witness a staggering array of wildlife in America's Eden. |
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