4/26/2023 0 Comments Are otters predatorsThese findings further reinforce the importance of other species to our own future. Researchers are breaking new scientific ground to explore relationships between wildlife and the carbon cycle all over the world. The result of these interactions is an estimated increase in carbon storage between 46 million and 99 million metric tons attributed to the presence of wolves in the boreal forest compared to the absence of wolves. (That’s equivalent to a year of tailpipe emissions from between 33 and 71 million cars.) When these delicate predator-prey dynamics are left intact, the whole ecosystem benefits from a balanced food web-and so do we. Moose-as the dominant herbivore-also shape the composition of the forest and the soil microbes because they feed heavily on tree shoots and leaves. Here’s where it gets really interesting: When healthy wolf populations are present in the forest, they directly influence both the foraging behavior and abundance of moose through predation-which changes the way moose interact with boreal plant communities-which alters the forest composition and increases tree biomass-which then enhances carbon storage in both plants and soils. While there is widespread recognition that boreal trees and soils store large amounts of carbon, we are only recently starting to understand that wolves and other wildlife in the forest food web are a part of this process too.Īs a top predator and keystone species, wolves have an outsize influence on the boreal ecosystem. One revealing example of this comes from the boreal forest of Canada, which has been identified as one of the most crucial carbon-storing landscapes on earth. Now we’re beginning to understand that because of their influence on plants and soils, the presence and abundance of certain animals within a food web can substantially affect carbon storage. Scientists are demonstrating through innovative research that failure to account for the effects of wildlife on the carbon cycle could result in miscalculating-and misunderstanding-the capacity of ecosystems to take up and store carbon. We already know that healthy, intact food webs make ecosystems more resilient to environmental changes. This happens because predators, herbivores, plants, and decomposers interact in complex relationships called food webs. Wild animals play important roles in sculpting ecosystems-with top predators often having the greatest influence, despite their relatively small numbers. This research makes it increasingly clear that biodiversity is not an optional luxury, but integral to the natural life support systems that we all depend upon. But amid the buzz over better stewardship of our planet’s greenery, a growing body of scientific research is unearthing another piece of this complex carbon puzzle: wildlife. Read our other blogs on beavers, salmon, and sea otters by clicking the links.Įcosystems have the power to help us mitigate the worst impacts of climate change-especially when we harness the benefits of “natural climate solutions” (NCS) that restore and protect significant carbon-storing environments like forests, grasslands, and wetlands. This blog is the first in a four-part series that explores the role wildlife plays in boosting ecosystem resilience-and how thriving biodiversity supports our own efforts to mitigate climate change.
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