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Las grandes manadas de bisontes que se mueven libremente en Yellowstone dan una idea de su función en el pasado

Chris Geremia¹, E William Hamilton², Jerod A Merkle³

¹Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service, Mammoth, WY, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|August 28, 2025

Resumen

La restauración de grandes manadas de bisontes migratorios en América del Norte estabiliza los ecosistemas al mejorar el ciclo del nitrógeno y la nutrición del paisaje. Estos hallazgos sugieren adoptar densidades variadas de bisontes para una restauración efectiva del ecosistema.

Área de la Ciencia:

Ecología
Dinámica de los ecosistemas
Ecología de la restauración

Sus antecedentes:

Los esfuerzos actuales de restauración de bisontes a menudo se centran en manadas pequeñas y administradas.
Los impactos ecológicos de las grandes manadas migratorias de bisontes en los paisajes siguen siendo en gran medida poco claros.
Comprender estos impactos es crucial para la restauración efectiva del ecosistema.

Objetivo del estudio:

Evaluar los efectos de una gran población de bisontes migratorios en la dinámica del carbono y el nitrógeno en el ecosistema norteño de Yellowstone.
Determinar cómo el pastoreo de bisontes influye en la calidad nutricional del paisaje y la salud del ecosistema.
Para informar las futuras estrategias de restauración de bisontes.

Principales métodos:

Investigó el ciclo del carbono y el nitrógeno a través del ecosistema norteño de Yellowstone.
Se analizó la producción neta en superficie, la rotación de nitrógeno y las reservas de nutrientes.
Respuestas comparadas de los ecosistemas en áreas con diferentes densidades de bisontes y tipos de hábitats.

Principales resultados:

Bison estabilizó la producción neta en superficie y aceleró la rotación de nitrógeno.
Los depósitos de nitrógeno en la superficie aumentaron, mientras que los depósitos de carbono se mantuvieron estables, mejorando la calidad nutricional del paisaje.
Los efectos del ecosistema fueron más pronunciados en hábitats húmedos y ricos en nutrientes, lo que indica la resiliencia del paisaje.

Conclusiones:

Las grandes manadas de bisontes migratorios mejoran significativamente la calidad nutricional del paisaje y la salud del ecosistema.
La restauración del bisonte debe tener en cuenta la heterogeneidad del hábitat y las diversas densidades, yendo más allá de las directrices actuales de gestión de pastizales.
Abrazar el papel ecológico completo del bisonte es clave para la restauración exitosa del ecosistema de América del Norte.

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