DEB - 9806266 Robert A. Garrott and L. Lee Eberhardt Large predators are increasingly being re-introduced into areas from which they have been extirpated. This is a conservation strategy that is being advocated in a wide array of regions. The effects of such introductions are poorly understood, however. Much theoretical work has been conducted on such systems but this has been matched with little empirical documentation. This proposal requests funds to assess the effects of wolf re-introductions on ungulate populations in Yellowstone National Park where extensive data have been collected on elk populations in a region where wolves are about to be re-established. Based upon extensive existing data, the ungulate population in this region appears to be stable and this provides an ideal situation to determine the effects of wolves on a stationary population. Research will involve collection of animal-population data from within the region as well as the development of modeling efforts to evaluate the effects of the changes that are planned. Effects on bison will also be assessed in the manipulation area and the proposed work involves collaborations a number of specialists on all of the component species in the study system.
