IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Boonstra, R.; Boutin, S.; Jung, T.S.; Krebs, C.J.; Taylor, S. | |
| Impact of rewilding, species introductions and climate change on the structure and function of the Yukon boreal forest ecosystem | |
| 2018 Integrative Zoology (13): 123-138 | |
Community and ecosystem changes are happening in the pristine boreal forest ecosystem of the Yukon for 2 reasons. First, climate change is affecting the abiotic environment (temperature, rainfall and growing season) and driving changes in plant productivity and predator-prey interactions. Second, simultaneously change is occurring because of mammal species reintroductions and rewilding. The key ecological question is the impact these faunal changes will have on trophic dynamics. Primary productivity in the boreal forest is increasing because of climatic warming, but plant species composition is unlikely to change significantly during the next 50-100 years. The 9-10-year population cycle of snowshoe hares will persist but could be reduced in amplitude if winter weather increases predator hunting efficiency. Small rodents have increased in abundance because of increased vegetation growth. Arctic ground squirrels have disappeared from the forest because of increased predator hunting efficiency associated with shrub growth. Reintroductions have occurred for 2 reasons: human reintroductions of large ungulates and natural recolonization of mammals and birds extending their geographic ranges. The deliberate rewilding of wood bison (_Bison bison_) and elk (_Cervus canadensis_) has changed the trophic structure of this boreal ecosystem very little. The natural range expansion of mountain lions (_Puma concolor_), mule deer (_Odocoileus hemionus_) and American marten (_Martes americana_) should have few ecosystem effects. Understanding potential changes will require long-term monitoring studies and experiments on a scale we rarely deem possible. Ecosystems affected by climate change, species reintroductions and human alteration of habitats cannot remain stable and changes will be critically dependent on food web interactions. |
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