Yellowstone bison 'set the terms of springtime' and create the 'best food' by engineering the environment

, the mass slaughter of bison over the 18th century saw the total population fall to just over 300, with 25 remaining in Yellowstone. The park is now the only place in the country where bison have been continually present since prehistoric times, with a herd of around 5,000 now roaming the landscape.

Findings showed that while bison started their migration in line with the green wave at the start of spring, they soon let this wave pass them by and instead started to manipulate and maintain the grasslands to create food for themselves. By continually mowing the grass through grazing, and trampling the ground with thousands of hooves, the grasslands"green up faster, more intensely, and for a longer duration," the authors wrote.

Bison on the road in Yellowstone National Park in April 2018. Scientists have discovered bison engineer the environment to make the park greener in spring.Study co-author Jerod Merkle, from the University of Wyoming, added:"We knew that bison migrated, we figured they followed the green wave, but we didn't know that their influence on the landscape could affect the entire way that spring moves through the mountains and valleys of Yellowstone.

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