Elk in the Rocky Mountain National Park Ecosystem - A Model-Based Assessment
Coughenour MB. 2002. Elk in the Rocky Mountain National Park Ecosystem - A Model-Based Assessment. Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory - CSU. Fort Collins, Colorado
An objective of U.S. National Parks is to preserve naturally functioning ecosystems. In order to accomplish this goal, it is necessary to understand how ecosystem processes interact to give rise to a natural abundance of large herbivores along with their natural effects on ecosystem structure and fbnction. Large herbivores exert significant effects in ecosystems, altering the structure and function of vegetation, ecosystem energy flows and nutrient cycling, and habitats and populations of other wildlife species. ROMO was established in north central Colorado in 1915 after a period of substantial resource extraction by early settlers, including trappers, hunters, miners, loggers, and ranchers. Concerns about elk impacts on plants and other components of the ecosystem have heightened considerably during the last two decades. Ecosystem simulation models have been increasingly used to assess the responses of plant growth and ecosystem dynamics to herbivory. The SAVANNA model is a spatially explicit ecosystem model that has been developed over a number of years and applied to a wide range of ecosystems dominated by large herbivores. The purpose of this research is to assess the role of elk in the RMNP ecosystem using ecosystem modeling. The model only represents the consequences of different densities of herbivores and different modes of herbivore management. The compatibilities of the simulated responses with site-specific natural resource management objectives are evaluated separately.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Coughenour, Michael
- Date of Issue
- 2002-08
- Publisher
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory - CSU
- Units
- ROMO
- Keywords
- Aspen, Carrying Capacity, Climate, Herbivores, Savanna, Soils, Vegetation