Evidence for top predator control of a grazing ecosystem
Abstract
The importance of top predators in controlling ecological processes in large, intact ecosystems is unclear. In grasslands that support abundant ungulates, top–down control by predators may be particularly important, because of the tight biogeochemical linkages of ungulate prey with plants and soil microbes. Here, I examined the effects of the recent reintroduction of the gray wolf Canis lupus on ecosystem processes in Yellowstone National Park, where herds of grazing ungulates previously have been shown to stimulate several processes, including soil net nitrogen (N) mineralization. Rates of ungulate grazing intensity and soil net N mineralization were compared before and after wolf reintroduction in grasslands ranging five‐fold in aboveground production. Grazing intensity and grassland net N mineralization declined after wolf reintroduction, a likely partial function of fewer ungulates; wolf predation has been one of several factors implicated in causing the decline in Yellowstone ungulates. In addition, the spatial pattern of grazing and net N mineralization changed after reintroduction. A shift in the spatial patterns of grazer‐associated processes is consistent with a growing body of work indicating that wolves have changed habitat use patterns of ungulates in Yellowstone National Park. These findings suggest widespread wolf effects on ungulate prey, plants, and microbial activity that have spatially reorganized grassland energy and nutrient dynamics in Yellowstone Park.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Only one study has assessed changes in grassland communities since wolf reintroduction, and it reported data only during 1995-2000 when wolf predation was relatively insignificant.
“Nevertheless, only one study has assessed changes in grassland communities since wolves were reintroduced, reporting data only during 1995-2000 when the level of wolf predation was relatively insignificant (Frank 2008).”
From Trophic Cascades in a Multicausal World: Isle Royale and Yellowstone (2014) · cites this paper as Frank 2008
That study suggested consumption rate and net nitrogen mineralization declined, but not overall productivity.
“This study suggested that the rate of consumption (but not overall productivity), as well as net nitrogen mineralization, had declined.”
From Trophic Cascades in a Multicausal World: Isle Royale and Yellowstone (2014) · cites this paper as Frank 2008
Average elk population sizes were 17,725 and 13,227 during the pre- and post-gray wolf periods during which Frank (2008) measured grassland productivity.
“Average elk population sizes were 17,725 and 13,227, respectively, during the preand post-gray wolf periods during which Frank (2008) measured the grassland productivity.”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank 2008
Frank (2008) found that grazer consumption rates declined post-gray wolf reintroduction for similar levels of mean aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP).
“Frank (2008) compared grazer consumption rates before and after gray wolf reintroduction and found that grazer consumption rates had declined post-gray wolf reintroduction for similar levels of mean aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP).”
From Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling (2016) · cites this paper as Frank 2008
Cites
On Optimal Use of a Patchy Environment
MacArthur, R. H., & Pianka, E. R. (1966) · The American Naturalist · doi:10.1086/282454 · Cited by 4,593 · see citing works
Ecology of a Grazing Ecosystem: The Serengeti
McNaughton, S. J. (1985) · Ecological Monographs · doi:10.2307/1942578 · Cited by 1,394 · see citing works
Wolves influence elk movements: Behavior shapes a trophic cascade in Yellowstone National Park
Fortin, D., Beyer, H. L., Boyce, M. S., Smith, D. W., Duchesne, T., & Mao, J. S. (2005) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/04-0953 · Cited by 1,351 · see citing works
Wolf reintroduction, predation risk, and cottonwood recovery in Yellowstone National Park
Ripple, W. J., & Beschta, R. L. (2003) · Forest Ecology and Management · doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(03)00154-3 · Cited by 395 · see citing works
Landscape heterogeneity shapes predation in a newly restored predator–prey system
Kauffman, M. J., Varley, N., Smith, D. W., Stahler, D. R., MacNulty, D. R., & Boyce, M. S. (2007) · Ecology Letters · doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01059.x · Cited by 350 · see citing works
Influence of harvest, climate and wolf predation on Yellowstone elk, 1961-2004
Vucetich, J. A., Smith, D. W., & Stahler, D. R. (2005) · Oikos · doi:10.1111/j.0030-1299.2005.14180.x · Cited by 222 · see citing works
KILL RATES AND PREDATION BY WOLVES ON UNGULATE POPULATIONS IN BIAŁOWIEŻA PRIMEVAL FOREST (POLAND)
Jędrzejewski, W., Schmidt, K., Theuerkauf, J., Jędrzejewska, B., Selva, N., Zub, K., & Szymura, L. (2002) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[1341:krapbw]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Winter prey selection and estimation of wolf kill rates in Yellowstone National Park, 1995–2000
SMITH, D. W., DRUMMER, T. D., MURPHY, K. M., GUERNSEY, D. S., & EVANS, S. B. (2004) · Journal of Wildlife Management · doi:10.2193/0022-541x(2004)068[0153:wpsaeo]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Trophic Downgrading of Planet Earth
Estes, J. A., Terborgh, J., Brashares, J. S., Power, M. E., Berger, J., Bond, W. J., Carpenter, S. R., Essington, T. E., Holt, R. D., Jackson, J. B. C., et al. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1205106 · Cited by 4,087 · see citing works
Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15years after wolf reintroduction
Ripple, W. J., & Beschta, R. L. (2012) · Biological Conservation · doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.11.005 · Cited by 884 · see citing works
Terrestrial Ecosystem Responses to Species Gains and Losses
Wardle, D. A., Bardgett, R. D., Callaway, R. M., & Van der Putten, W. H. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1197479 · Cited by 507 · see citing works
Glucocorticoid stress hormones and the effect of predation risk on elk reproduction
Creel, S., Winnie, J. A., & Christianson, D. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0902235106 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Bump, J. K., Peterson, R. O., & Vucetich, J. A. (2009) · Ecology · doi:10.1890/09-0292.1 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
Trophic Cascades in a Multicausal World: Isle Royale and Yellowstone
Peterson, R. O., Vucetich, J. A., Bump, J. M., & Smith, D. W. (2014) · Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics · doi:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091634 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Stream hydrology limits recovery of riparian ecosystems after wolf reintroduction
Marshall, K. N., Hobbs, N. T., & Cooper, D. J. (2013) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.2977 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Predicting and Detecting Reciprocity between Indirect Ecological Interactions and Evolution
Estes, J. A., Brashares, J. S., & Power, M. E. (2013) · The American Naturalist · doi:10.1086/668120 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Effects of gray wolf‐induced trophic cascades on ecosystem carbon cycling
Wilmers, C. C., & Schmitz, O. J. (2016) · Ecosphere · doi:10.1002/ecs2.1501 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
- Authors
- Frank, D. A.
- Corresponding author
- Frank, Douglas A.
- ORCID
- Frank, Douglas A.
- Venue
- Oikos
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2008-10-28
- Volume
- 117
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1718-1724
- ISSN
- 0030-1299 (ISSN-L)
- 1600-0706
- OpenAlex
- W1984365088
- Cited by
- 94
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 5.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Oikos (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Rangeland and Wildlife Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Keywords
- top-down control, gray wolf reintroduction, wolf, ungulate grazing, grazing intensity, Yellowstone National Park, predator-prey interactions, habitat use, nutrient cycling
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
