"Box 3 Regulating interactions of wolves and the complex perceptions of their contributions to people
Grey wolves (Canis lupus), historically distributed throughout North America and Eurasia, provide an excellent widespread example of how the extirpation of a top predator in an ecosystem can mediate herbivore release, ultimately altering the landscape8. Removal of wolves in the eastern USA and Canada has led to overpopulation of white-tailed deer, causing vegetative shifts that have harmed ecosystem conservation and NCP146. The loss of top predators, including wolves, has also released mesopredators such as red foxes and coyotes in the western USA, which has potential consequences for zoonotic disease regulation. Reintroducing wolves has been suggested to reduce Lyme disease incidence by reducing the density of mesopredator hosts of ticks64. Trophic cascades resulting from the loss or reintroduction of these top predators to ecosystems exemplifies their importance for regulating ecosystem function44,62."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44358-024-00006-9#Sec23
Removing grey wolves caused ripple effects: too many coyotes & foxes reduced rodents, disrupting ecosystems. Ticks found new hosts, raising disease risks, while vegetation and insect populations changed. Losing wolves creates chaos.
#Wolves
#RippleEffects
#EcosystemBalance