INFLUENCE OF WOLVES RIPPLES THROUGH THE YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM
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FIGURE 4.13 Predation by wolves directly suppresses the populations of some species, mainly coyotes and elk, while indirectly stimulating growth in many other populations, including ecosystem engineers and foundation species. The far-reaching effects of the gray wolf in the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem, which appear to qualify it as a keystone species, are the subject of ongoing long-term scientific studies.