Study Finds Removal of Apex Predators from Ecosystems Has Long-Lasting Effects

A recent study by Colorado State University found that the removal of apex predators from an ecosystem can have long-lasting effects. The study challenges the belief that reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park restored the degraded ecosystem, revealing that the absence of apex predators for nearly a century transformed the food web and landscape. Lead author Tom Hobbs emphasized that disturbing ecosystems by changing the makeup of a food web can lead to lasting changes that are not easily fixed.