Lessons from the Wolf

Bringing the top predator back to Yellowstone has triggered a cascade of unanticipated changes in the park's ecosystem

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

00

Yellowstone after Wolves. Douglas W. Smith, Rolf O. Peterson and Douglas B. Houston in BioScience, Vol. 54, No. 4, pages 330¿340; April 2003. Available at konstanza.ingentaselect.com/ vl=4060996/cl=73/nw=1/ rpsv/cw/aibs/00063568/v53n4/s8/p330

Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild. James C. Halfpenny. Riverbend Publishing, 2003.

Yellowstone National Park Wolf Information is at www.nps.gov/yell/nature/animals/wolf/wolfup.html and www.ypf.org

Jim Robbins is a journalist in Montana and contributor to KFF Health News.

More by Jim Robbins
Scientific American Magazine Vol 290 Issue 6This article was published with the title “Lessons from the Wolf” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 290 No. 6 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican062004-6vn0nJtONrdSAAzEdZKi4H

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe