Aboriginal overkill overstated: Errors in Charles Kay's hypothesis

Human Nature

Volumn 12, Issue 2, 2001, Pages 141-167

  Yochim, Michael J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MADISON   (United States)

Author keywords

Aboriginal overkill; Anthropogenic effects; Elk (Cervus elaphus); Humanized landscape; Natural regulation; Pristine landscape; Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

Indexed keywords

EID: 0035649485     PISSN: 10456767     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-001-1021-y     Document Type: Article

References (73)

1. Barnosky, E. H. 1996 Late Holocene Mammalian Fauna of Lamar Cave and Its Implications for Ecosystem Dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, F. Singer, ed. Pp. 154-163. Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR/96-01. Note that Barnosky's thesis is: Hadly, E.A. 1990. Late Holocene Mammalian Fauna of Lamar Cave and Its Implications for Ecosystem Dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. M.S. Thesis, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.
2. Barnosky, E. H. 1996 Late Holocene Mammalian Fauna of Lamar Cave and Its Implications for Ecosystem Dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, F. Singer, ed. Pp. 154-163. Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR/96-01. Note that Barnosky's thesis is: Hadly, E.A. 1990. Late Holocene Mammalian Fauna of Lamar Cave and Its Implications for Ecosystem Dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. M.S. Thesis, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.
3. Borah, Woodrow 1962 America as Model: The Demographic Impact of European Expansion upon the Non-Western World. Actas y Memorial del XXXV Congreso Internacional de Americanistas, Volume III (Mexico City).
4. Boyce, Mark S. 1991 Natural Regulation or the Control of Nature? In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Redefining America's Wilderness Heritage, Robert B. Keiter and Mark S. Boyce, eds. Pp. 183-208. Yale University Press, New Haven.
5. 1998 Ecological-Process Management and Ungulates: Yellowstone's Conservation Paradigm. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:391-398.
6. Boyd, Raymond J. 1980 American Elk. In Big Game of North America: Ecology and Management, John L. Schmidt and Douglas L. Gilbert, eds. Pp. 11-30. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
7. Cannon, Kenneth P. 1992 A Review of Archeological and Paleontological Evidence for the Prehistoric Presence of Wolf and Related Prey Species in the Northern and Central Rockies Physiographic Provinces. In Wolves for Yellowstone? A Report to the United States Congress. Volume IV: Research and Analysis, J. D. Varley and W. G. Brewster, eds. Pp. 1-175 to 1-266. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park.
8. Chadde, S., and C. Kay 1988 Willows and Moose: A Study of Grazing Pressure, Slough Creek Exclosure, Montana, 1961-1988. Research Note 24, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula.
9. 1991 Tall-Willow Communities on Yellowstone's Northern Range: A Test of the "Natural-Regulation" Paradigm. In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Redefining America's Wilderness Heritage, R. B. Keiter and M. S. Boyce, eds. Pp. 231-262. Yale University Press, New Haven.
10. Cole, Glen F. 1971 An Ecological Rationale for the Natural Regulation or Artificial Regulation of Native Ungulates in National Parks. Transactions of the North American Wildlife Conference 36:417-425.
11. Coughenour, Michael B. 1991 Biomass and Nitrogen Responses to Grazing of Upland Steppe on Yellowstone's Northern Winter Range. Journal of Applied Ecology 28:71-82.
12. Coughenour, Michael B., and Francis J. Singer 1991 The Concept of Overgrazing and Its Application to Yellowstone's Northern Winter Range. In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Redefining America's Wilderness Heritage, R. B. Keiter and M. S. Boyce, eds. Pp. 209-230. Yale University Press, New Haven.
13. 1996 Elk Population Processes in Yellowstone National Park under the Policy of Natural Regulation. Ecological Applications 6(2):573-593.
14. Coughenour, Michael B., Francis J. Singer, and James J. Reardon 1996 The Parker Transects Revisited - Long-Term Herbaceous Vegetation Trends on Yellowstone's Northern Winter Range. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, F. Singer, ed. Pp. 13-24. Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR/96-01.
15. Denevan, William M. 1992 The Pristine Myth: The Landscape of the Americas in 1492. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 82:369-385.
16. Despain, Don G. 1996 The Coincidence of Elk Migration and Flowering of Bluebunch Wheatgrass. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, F. Singer, ed. Pp. 139-143. Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR/96-01.
17. Despain, D., D. Houson, M. Meagher, and P. Schullery 1986 Wildlife in Transition: Man and Nature on Yellowstone's Northern Range. Roberts Rinehart, Boulder, Colorado.
18. DeVoto, Bernard, ed. 1953 The Journals of Lewis and Clark. Houghton Mifflin, New York.
19. Dobyns, Henry F. 1967 Estimating Aboriginal American Population: An Appraisal of Techniques with a New Hemispheric Estimate. Current Anthropology 7:395-416.
20. 1983 Their Numbers Become Thinned: Native American Population Dynamics in Eastern North America. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.
21. Engstrom, D. R., C. Whitlock, S. C. Fritz, and H. E. Wright, Jr. 1991 Recent Environmental Changes Inferred from the Sediments of Small Lakes in Yellowstone's Northern Range. Journal of Paleolimnology 5:139-174.
22. Frank, D., and Samuel J. McNaughton 1992 The Ecology of Plants, Large Mammalian Herbivores, and Drought in Yellowstone National Park. Ecology 73:2043-2058.
23. 1993 Evidence for the Promotion of Aboveground Grassland Production by Native Large Herbivores in Yellowstone National Park. Oecologia 96:157-161.
24. Frison, George C. 1991 Prehistoric Hunters of the High Plains. Academic Press, San Diego.
25. Gomez-Pompa, Arturo, and Andrea Kaus 1992 Taming the Wilderness Myth. BioScience 42:271-279.
26. Henige, David 1986 Primary Source by Primary Source? On the Role of Epidemics in New World Depopulation. Ethnohistory 33:293-312.
27. Houston, Douglas B. 1971 Ecosystems of National Parks. Science 172:648-651.
28. 1982 The Northern Yellowstone Elk, Ecology and Management. Macmillan, New York.
29. Huff, Dan E., and John D. Varley 1999 Natural Regulation in Yellowstone National Park's Northern Range. Ecological Applications 9:17-29.
30. Janetski, Joel C. 1987 The Indians of Yellowstone Park. University of Utah Press (Bonneville Press), Salt Lake City.
31. Kay, Charles E. 1985 Aspen Reproduction in the Yellowstone Park-Jackson Hole Area and Its Relationship to the Natural Regulation of Ungulates. In Western Elk Management: A Symposium, G. W. Workman, ed. Pp. 131-160. Utah State University, Logan.
32. 1987 Too Many Elk in Yellowstone? Western Wildlands 13(3):39-41,44.
33. 1990 Yellowstone's Northern Elk Herd: A Critical Evaluation of the "Natural Regulation" Paradigm. Ph.D. Dissertation, Utah State University, Logan.
34. 1993 Aspen Seedlings in Recently Burned Areas of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Northwest Science 67(2):94-104.
35. 1994a Aboriginal Overkill: The Role of Native Americans in Structuring Western Ecosystems. Human Nature 5:359-398.
36. 1994b The Impact of Native Ungulates and Beaver on Riparian Communities in the Intermountain West. Natural Resources and Environmental Issues I:23-44.
37. 1995a Aboriginal Overkill and Native Burning: Implications for Modern Ecosystem Management. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 10(4):121-126.
38. 1995b Browsing by Native Ungulates: Effects on Shrub and Seed Production in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In Proceedings: Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium, 19-21 October 1993, Las Vegas NV, Bruce A. Roundy, et al., compilers. Pp. 310-320. General Technical Report INT-GTR-315. Ogden, Utah: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station.
39. 1996 Ecosystems Then and Now: A Historical-Ecological Approach to Ecosystem Management. In Proceedings of the Fourth Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Workshop, W. D. Willms and J. F. Dormaar, eds. Pp. 79-87. Provincial Museum of Alberta Natural History Occasional Paper 23. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
40. 1997a Aboriginal Overkill and the Biogeography of Moose in Western North America. Alces 33:141-164.
41. 1997b Is Aspen Doomed? Journal of Forestry 95(5):4-11.
42. 1997c Viewpoint: Ungulate Herbivory, Willows, and Political Ecology in Yellowstone. Journal of Range Management 50:139-145.
43. 1997d Yellowstone: Ecological Malpractice. PERC Reports 15(2):5-39.
44. 1998 Are Ecosystems Structured from the Top-Down or Bottom-Up: A New Look at an Old Debate. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:484-498.
45. Kay, Charles E., and S. W. Chadde 1992 Reduction of Willow Seed Production by Ungulate Browsing in Yellowstone National Park. In Proceedings: Symposium on Ecology and Management of Riparian Shrub Communities, W. P. Clary, E. D. McArthur, D. Bedunah, and C. L. Wambolt, eds. Pp. 92-99. U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report INT-289.
46. Kay, Charles E., and Frederic Wagner 1994 Historical Condition of Woody Vegetation on Yellowstone's Northern Range: A Critical Evaluation of the "Natural Regulation" Paradigm. In Plants and Their Environments - Proceedings of the First Biennial Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, D.G. Despain, ed. Pp. 151-169. General Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR-93/XX. National Park Service, Denver.
47. Kay, Charles E., and John W. Walker 1997 A Comparison of Sheep- and Wildlife-Grazed Willow Communities in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Sheep and Goat Research Journal 13(1):6-13.
48. Kroeber, Alfred L. 1939 Cultural and Natural Areas of Native North America, University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology, Vol. 38. University of California Press, Berkeley.
49. Lane, John R., and Cliff Montagne 1996 Characterization of Soils From Grazing Exclosures and Adjacent Areas in Northern Yellowstone National Park. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, Francis Singer, ed. Pp. 63-71. Technical Report NPS/ NRYELL/NRTR/96-01.
50. Martin, Paul S., and H. E. Wright, Jr., eds. 1967 Pleistocene Extinctions: The Search for a Cause. Yale University Press, New Haven.
51. Martin, Paul S., and Richard G. Klein, eds. 1984 Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
52. Meagher, Mary, and Douglas B. Houston 1998 Yellowstone and the Biology of Time: Photographs across a Century. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
53. O'Connell, James F., and Kristen Hawkes 1988 Hadza Hunting, Butchering, and Bone Transport and Their Archaeological Implications. Journal of Anthropological Research 44:113-161.
54. Ramenofsky, Ann F. 1987 Vectors of Death. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
55. Robbins, C. T. 1983 Wildlife Feeding and Nutrition. Academic Press, New York.
56. Romme, William, M. G. Turner, L. L. Wallace, and J. S. Walker 1995 Aspen, Elk and Fire in Northern Yellowstone National Park. Ecology 76: 2097-2106.
57. Ruess, R. W. 1987 The Role of Large Herbivores in Nutrient Cycling of Tropical Savannas. In Determinants of Tropical Savannas, B. H. Walker, ed. Pp. 67-91. Oxford: IRL Press.
58. Schullery, Paul, and Lee Whittlesey 1992 The Documentary Record of Wolves and Related Wildlife Species in the Yellowstone National Park Area Prior to 1882. In Wolves for Yellowstone? A Report to the United States Congress. Volume IV: Research and Analysis, John D. Varley and Wayne G. Brewster, eds. Pp. 1-3 to 1-173. National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park.
59. 1995 Summary of the Documentary Record of Wolves and Other Wildlife Species in the Yellowstone National Park Area Prior to 1882. In Ecology and Conservation of Wolves in a Changing World, L. N. Carbyn, S. H. Fritts, and D. R. Seip, eds. Pp. 63-76. Canadian Circumpolar Institute, Occasional Publication No. 35.
60. 1999 Letter from Resource Naturalist, Yellowstone National Park, to Lee Paulson, Program Director, Board on Environmental Studies & Toxicology, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, dated December 16, 1999. Central Files, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.
61. Simms, S. R. 1992 Wilderness as a Human Landscape. In Wilderness Tapestry, S. I. Zeveloff, L. M. Vause, and W. H. McVaugh, eds. Pp. 183-201. University of Nevada Press, Reno.
62. Singer, Francis J. 1996a Differences between Willow Communities Browsed by Elk and Communities Protected for 32 Years in Yellowstone National Park. In Effects of Grazing by Wild Ungulates in Yellowstone National Park, F. Singer, ed. Pp. 279-290.
63. Technical Report NPS/NRYELL/NRTR/96-01. 1996b Effects of Grazing by Ungulates on Upland Bunchgrass Communities of the Northern Winter Range of Yellowstone National Park. Northwest Science 69(3):191-204.
64. Singer, Francis J., and M. K. Harter 1996 Comparative Effects of Elk Herbivory and 1988 Fires on Northern Yellowstone National Park Grasslands. Ecological Applications 6:185-199.
65. Singer, Francis J., and J. E. Norland 1994 Niche Relationships within a Guild of Ungulate Species in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Following Release from Artificial Controls. Canadian Journal of Zoology 72:1383-1394.
66. Singer, Francis J., Lauryl C. Mack, and Rex G. Cates 1994 Ungulate Herbivory of Willows on Yellowstone's Northern Winter Range. Journal of Range Management 47:435-443.
67. Singer, Francis J., David M. Swift, Michael B. Coughenour, and John D. Varley 1998 Thunder on the Yellowstone Revisited: An Assessment of Management of Native Ungulates by Natural Regulation, 1968-1993. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:375-390.
68. Singer, Francis J., Linda C. Zeigenfuss, Rex G. Cates, and David T. Barnett 1998 Elk, Multiple Factors, and Persistence of Willows in National Parks. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:419-428.
69. Stannard, David E. 1992 American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World. Oxford University Press, New York.
70. Vale, Thomas R. 1998 The Myth of the Humanized Landscape: An Example from Yosemite National Park. Natural Areas Journal 18:231-236.
71. Wagner, Frederic H., R. Foresta, R. B. Gill, D. R. McCullough, M. R. Pelton, W. F. Porter, and H. Salwesser 1995 Wildlife Policies in the U.S. National Parks. Island Press, Washington, D.C.
72. White, Clifford A., Charles E. Olmsted, and Charles E. Kay 1998 Aspen, Elk, and Fire in the Rocky Mountain National Parks of North America. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:449-462. Yellowstone National Park
73. 1997 Yellowstone's Northern Range: Complexity and Change in a Wildland Ecosystem. National Park Service, Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming.