Geremia et al. performed grazing exclusion experiments to examine the effects of bison on soil and vegetation across their migration area. Grazed areas had higher soil microbe density and nitrogen content in both soils and plants. When given large areas to roam, bison create habitat heterogeneity and areas with enhanced nutrition that can support denser populations than are deemed sustainable by current management recommendations.
Yellowstone’s free-moving large bison herds provide a glimpse of their past ecosystem function
Authors: Chris Geremia, E. William Hamilton, Jerod A. Merkle
Date: 28/08/2025
Publisher: Science
