Carnivores in Ecosystems: The Yellowstone Experience

by Timothy W. Clark (Editor)

Large carnivores -- such as the gray wolf and grizzly bear -- are in danger of extinction; saving them is one of the most difficult challenges facing conservation biologists worldwide. Other carnivores -- such as the mountain lion, wolverine, and lynx -- are in need of special management. This valuable book examines the current status, management, and conservation of carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where these animals have not only been researched for almost forty years but have also been affected by pressures from growing human uses. Written by leading authorities in the field, the book begins by considering Yellowstone as a "model" system that has international significance. It goes on to survey the history of changing attitudes toward Greater Yellowstone carnivores and to discuss specific animals and their prey (including bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes, elk, bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep, moose, and small mammals).

The book also assesses the current status of conservation genetics and ecosystem dynamics. It closes with a look at the history and theory of carnivore ecology and a survey of research and conservation approaches.

Contents:
A model ecosystem for carnivores in Greater Yellowstone / Tim W. Clark, Steven C. Minta, A. Peyton Curlee [and others]
Greater Yellowstone carnivores: a history of changing attitudes / Paul Schullery, Lee H. Whittlesey
Yellowstone bears / Richard R. Knight, Bonnie M. Blanchard, Paul Schullery
The ecology of anthropogenic influences on cougars / Kerry M. Murphy, P. Ian Ross, Maurice G. Hornocker
Wolves in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem: restoration of a top carnivore in a complex management environment / Douglas W. Smith, Wayne G. Brewster, Edward E. Bangs
Coyotes and canid coexistence in Yellowstone / Robert L. Crabtree, Jennifer W. Sheldon
Mesocarnivores of Yellowstone / Steven W. Buskirk
Predicting the effects of wildfire and carnivore predation on ungulates / Francis J. Singer, John A. Mack
Small prey of carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem / Kurt A. Johnson, Robert L. Crabtree
Evaluating the role of carnivores in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem / Mark S. Boyce, Eric M. Anderson
Genetic consideration for carnivore conservation in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem / F. Lance Craighead, Michael E. Gilpin, Ernest R. Vyse
Carnivore research and conservation: learning from history and theory / Steven C. Minta, Peter M. Kareiva, A. Peyton Curlee

446 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 1999

Reviews

[JP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good balance of showing the problems involved with multiple "conservators" having their distinct leanings and preferences. Also brings out the impossibility of defining a "historic state" and getting back to any pre-influence "trajectory."