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When bison have room to roam, they reawaken the Yellowstone ecosystem
Large herds of about 5,000 bison in Yellowstone accelerate nitrogen cycling, increasing plant nutrition by 150%, which supports diverse wildlife and sustains ecosystem health, researchers found.
- On August 28, a Science paper by Washington and Lee University, the National Park Service, and University of Wyoming researchers found migrating bison herds boost Yellowstone National Park's ecology by grazing river valleys.
- Historically, bison numbered between 30 and 60 million before late 19th-century extermination campaigns reduced them to roughly 400,000, with about 5,000 still roaming Yellowstone National Park.
- Field experiments showed bison grazing accelerates nitrogen cycling; grazed plants remain productive and become more than 150% nutritious, aiding elk, deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep.
- The study challenges the focus on small, fenced bison herds and urges restoring free-roaming bison movement and scale, amid ranchers' concerns about fences, cattle mixing, and disease as policymakers debate restoration priorities.
- Beyond Yellowstone, the study invites a broader dialogue on herbivore management as Yellowstone study authors compare the bison comeback to the Serengeti wildebeest recovery, urging the global conservation community to consider impacts on grassland and prairie ecosystems.
70 Articles
70 Articles
Oil City News
Bison eradication stripped western grasslands of nutrients, Yellowstone research shows
By Mike Koshmrl The remarkable seasonal flow of thousands of bison into and out of Yellowstone National Park is both a relic of an earlier, pre-settlement era and a source of great debate — Montana’s even sued in pursuit of fewer bison. But there’s now less debate about the ecological good the herds of native herbivores bring to the landscape. A new study published in the journal Science shows that the migratory herds of bison effectively func…
Daily Journal
Bison herds 'reawaken' Yellowstone's prairies
There are few symbols of the American West more iconic than the bison -- shaggy giants that once roamed in the tens of millions before being nearly annihilated by European settlers.
When bison have room to roam, they reawaken the Yellowstone ecosystem
Scientists from Washington and Lee University, the National Park Service and the University of Wyoming have published research in Science shedding new light on the value of bison recovery efforts in Yellowstone National Park.
Bison Restoration: Revitalizing the Yellowstone Ecosystem Through Freedom
On August 28, a pioneering study led by researchers from Washington and Lee University, the National Park Service, and the University of Wyoming was published in the prestigious journal Science, shedding light on the ecological benefits of large, migratory bison herds in Yellowstone National Park. This groundbreaking research moves beyond traditional conservation strategies, emphasizing the importance of free-roaming bison populations in shaping…
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