Greater Yellowstone's Native Ungulates: Myths and Realities

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Abstract
At least three North American areas have been compared to Africa's Serengeti, probably because large concentrations of ungulates occur on both continents. Such comparisons are deceiving because the North American ecosystems harbor only about 15 to 25% of the ungulate species diversity found in the Serengeti. Migratory herbivores in both systems are confronted by ecological problems, including conflicts between people and wildlife once the herbivores move beyond park boundaries, and in the North American system, the loss of effective predators. The recent extinction of wolves from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem masks any direct effect on large herbivore movements today, although more than half of the Yellowstone Park ungulates migrate regularly to habitats outside park boundaries. If vestiges of ecosystem‐oriented processes are to be preserved, some type of vision coupled with effective, coordinated management must be adopted This paper addresses one component of this issue, migrant ungulates and their habitats. Three specific points are made. (1) Comparisons between the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Serengeti, while questionable ecologically, are heuristic and serve conservation goals. (2) Both the loss of predators and different federally imposed land‐use mandates have altered patterns of herbivore migration, behavior, and habitat use. While consequences of these human‐caused disturbances cannot be predicted precisely, sufficient data from comparable regions allow the development of probable scenarios. (3) Throughout different periods during the last 100 years a variety of plans called for formal interagency cooperation; none has been successful. Until managers and politicians become more cognizant of historical failures stemming from the lack of coordinated ecosystem management during the last century, the same mistakes are likely to plague future generations.