In northern Yellowstone National Park, saplings of quaking aspen, an ecologically important tree in the American West, are being broken by a historically large bison herd, affecting the comeback of aspen from decades of over-browsing by elk.
"I've studied the response of aspen in northern Yellowstone to the reduction in elk after the wolves were brought back and found that during this time,increased and have begun to affect aspen," Painter said."Now we're showing strong evidence of a previously unreported behavior of bison bulls breaking aspen saplings."
For much of the 20th century, Painter said, aspen sprouts were unable to grow into trees because they were eaten by elk during winter. But at the end of the century, when wolves were reintroduced and the numbers of other large predators such as In places where bison are present in large numbers, like Yellowstone's iconic Lamar Valley, they are hindering some aspen stands from replacing their dying trees, he said.
Painter noted that Yellowstone bison are managed under an agreement with the state of Montana that requires them to remain in or very near the park—those that stray are killed, captured or hazed back into the park, in large part because they can carry bacteria that cause brucellosis, a threat to Montana's cattle industry.
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