Trophic cascades / article on predator impact from Scientific American

[jbhtiger]

I enjoyed reading this.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=predators-create-landscape-of-fear

The science is interesting.  I had not previously been exposed to many of the ideas (e.g. green world hypothesis, mesopredator release). 

[Special T]

Long read and yes interesting... The part that i think is UNDER represented in this article is how MAN  is the keystone in the predatory process. If we Manage properly like Leopold wanted, IE kill more does when the wolves were gone, We have little need for large numbers of wolves... If we manage for hunting, hunters will keep the balance and pay for all the improvements and studies, if we quit hunting who will pay for all of it? And Who will have a vested intrest in careing? 

[Ice Cap]

Interesting read but as Special T pointed out, the lack of addressing
mans effect as the keystone predator puts a huge flaw in this research.

[Special T]

I thought the stair step of the food chain was interesting especially when it talked about the Killer whales afecting the abundance of sea urchens because they ate a lot of sea otters... Man can be flexible in the making of hunting seasons to manipulate the system for the maxium of animals... Unlike wolves or Killerwhales we can change what and how we take as far as game... If we do not manage for what people are willing to PAY to hunt then it is less likey that the other animals that need managing will be adress unless some one Pays the HUNTER...

[jbhtiger]

Ironic, definitely.
We preserve, principally, to hunt. 

Conservation, science, salaries all cost money.  Hunting licenses are revenue.  I wish there was a way to charge a license fee for, to cherry pick an example, birders.  Maybe that's what the Discover Pass represents.  The more passive wildlife recreations are, to speak biologically, parasitic on the host that is often wrongly demonized: hunting.
 
And that's what I'm thinking as I wait for the 0330 alarm to call me into the woods for the opener tomorrow.