In 2013, Parks Canada published a first draft plan to reintroduce plains bison to Banff National Park. This project was supported by the reasons that bison play a keyrole in the ecosystem and function as a food resource for predators and scavenger. Plains bison play a key role in prairie ecosystems. Through their grazing and wallowing combined with naturally occurring fires, plains bison have a disproportionally large impact on their environment. However, the role bison play in Banff National Park is likely to be of minor importance. In fact, the reintroduction of plains bison may even harm the Banff ecosystem through enhanced seed dispersal of exotic species and fragmentation through bison-fencing. It is concluded that if bison will be reintroduced, more research is needed, first, on the impact of bison to the Banff ecosystem and second, on the impact of bison fencing on the movement of other wildlife. Also, Parks Canada should be willing to cancel the project if the ecological costs outweigh the benefits.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.7 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Examines Parks Canada's five-year pilot using bison from Elk Island National Park
- Considers 27 kilometres of proposed fencing and its implications for wildlife migration
- Discusses applying Power et al.'s keystone-species formula to bison at Konza
- 33 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
The document does not contain a table of contents.
Aim and Topics
This paper examines whether reintroducing plains bison to Banff National Park is ecologically justified. It assesses Parks Canada's stated ecological reasons against research on bison in prairie ecosystems and considers how the proposed reintroduction and fencing might affect Banff's habitats and wildlife.
- Parks Canada's reasons and proposed reintroduction plan
- Bison as a potential keystone species in prairie ecosystems
- Grazing, fire, wallowing, carcasses and seed dispersal
- Differences between prairie ecosystems and Banff National Park
- Potential effects of fencing on wildlife movement
Excerpt from the Book
4. Key role of plains bison in the prairie ecosystem
Indeed there is literature stating that bison is a keystone‐species supporting the arguments of Parks Canada (2013). According to Power et al. (1996) a keystone species is a species that has a disproportionally large impact on its community or ecosystem relative to its abundance.
In the following, I will outline arguments that support the thesis of bison being a keystone species in prairie ecosystems.
In 1987, 30 plains bison were reintroduced to the unplowed Konza tallgrass prairie in Kansas and Utah (Knapp et al. 1999). The herd of bison was not actively managed, only prescribed spring fires were applied to the site to mimic natural fire disturbance (Knapp et al. 1999). Within five years the herd grew to a size of 200 individuals that allowed a good insight into the impacts of bison on their ecosystem.
It was shown that bison graze either in distinct intensive patches or in extensive grazing lawns (Knapp et al. 1999). Bison revisited their grazing sites repeatedly throughout the year which creates relatively sharp edges between grazed and ungrazed vegetation (Knapp et al. 1999). Bison tend to focus the dominant C4 grasses and avoid forbs and woody plants, since they are primarily graminoid feeders (Peden et al. 1974; Fahnestock & Knapp 1993).
Therefore, the dominant C4 grass species were lowered in abundance which indirectly supports the growth of the subdominant plant species (Knapp et al. 1999). Without bison grazing, the dominant C4 grass species increased in abundance relative to C3 grass species, forbs and woody species (Gibson & Hulbert 1987) which caused a significant decline in plant species diversity (Knapp et al. 1999).
Research in Konza prairie also investigated in the relationship of bison grazing and fire. Without bison grazing and increased frequency of fires, plant species diversity dropped because the dominant C4 grass species such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and little bluestem (Andropogon scorparium) were favoured through this disturbance pattern (Collins et al. 1995).
Bison grazing lowers fire fuel (Knapp et al. 1999). Heavily grazed sites can therefore disrupt naturally the expansion of fire or lower the intensity of fire (Hartnett et al. 1996). This creates a huge variety of burned and unburned patches (Knapp et al. 1999).
Chapter Summaries
1. Abstract: The author outlines the proposed reintroduction, the ecological arguments considered and the paper's conclusions.
2. Introduction: The introduction presents Parks Canada's vision and raises the question of reintroducing plains bison at the edge of their historical range.
3. What are the reasons for Parks Canada to reintroduce Bison?: This section sets out Parks Canada's ecological case, including habitat maintenance, food for wildlife and ecosystem restoration.
4. Key role of plains bison in the prairie ecosystem: The author reviews research on grazing, fire, wallowing, carcasses and seed dispersal, and discusses the concept of a keystone species.
5. In how far can bison support the ecosystem in Banff NP?: The paper considers how evidence from prairie ecosystems might apply to Banff's vegetation and wildlife, including possible risks from exotic seed dispersal.
6. The plan to reintroduce Bison to Banff NP: This section describes the proposed pilot, release area, herd size and management arrangements.
7. Fencing in Banff NP might have negative effects to other wildlife: The author discusses proposed fencing and its possible implications for habitat connectivity and wildlife movement.
8. Conclusion: The author weighs the potential ecological benefits against the risks and calls for further research.
Keywords
plains bison, Banff National Park, reintroduction, keystone species, prairie ecosystems, grazing, prescribed burning, wallowing, seed dispersal, wildlife fencing, habitat connectivity, biodiversity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the paper about?
It examines the ecological case for reintroducing plains bison to Banff National Park.
What are its central topics?
They include the ecological role of bison, differences between prairie and Banff ecosystems, the proposed release and the effects of fencing on wildlife.
What is the main research question?
The paper asks whether reintroducing plains bison to Banff is an ecological necessity and whether the ecological arguments for the project apply to the park.
What scientific method does the author use?
The author reviews and discusses published ecological research alongside Parks Canada's reintroduction plan. The paper does not describe an original field study.
What does the main body cover?
It examines Parks Canada's reasons, bison ecology in prairie ecosystems, potential effects in Banff, the proposed release and fencing.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include plains bison, reintroduction, keystone species, grazing, seed dispersal and habitat connectivity.
How does the paper use research from the Konza prairie?
It draws on studies of bison grazing, fire and vegetation to discuss their potential keystone role in tallgrass prairie.
What does the proposed pilot involve?
As described in the paper, the five-year pilot would release 30 to 50 young bison from Elk Island National Park in the Panther and Dormer River area.
Why does the author discuss fencing?
The proposed bison fences could affect the movement of other wildlife, making habitat connectivity an important consideration in the plan.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Benjamin Schwarz (Autor:in), 2013, Reintroduction of Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) to Banff National Park. An ecological necessity?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/280034
