An epochal study published Friday in the journal Science paints a truly frightening picture of a world without large carnivores, and a couple of Californian predators play a leading role. The study, Status and Ecological Effects of the Worlds Largest Carnivores, examined more than 100 recent surveys of the roles that the worlds largest predators play in shaping the ecosystems that they live in. They found that removing predators from an ecosystem can cause that ecosystem to unravel, with effects ranging from increase in pest animals to rivers changing course. The paper is a compelling confirmation of something wildlife biologists have long suspected, and the implications for California, where predators large and small have been systematically removed for more than 150 years, are troubling. Losing Big Carnivores May Be as Big a Threat as Climate Change | Mammals | ReWild | KCET ow.ly/sHsoI
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 23:50:12 +0000
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