A study on the impact of wolves on the Yellowstone ecosystem has been found to be erroneous

The impact of the wolf population recovery on the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park could have been significantly exaggerated due to errors in statistical modeling. The results of the new study were published on June 14 in the journal ScienceDaily.

According to a 2025 study, the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has led to massive changes in nature. It was assumed that the predators reduced the number of deer, which caused the trees and shrubs to grow more actively, and after that the state of the entire ecosystem of the park improved.

"The acclaimed work of 2025 significantly exaggerates the environmental impact of restoring the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park. The researchers <...> claim that earlier work used erroneous methods that led to exaggerated conclusions about the impact of wolves on the park's ecosystem," the publication says.

However, the authors of the new study concluded that such estimates could have been overestimated, since previous work had not fully taken into account the differences between the studied sites, as well as other factors affecting vegetation, including humidity levels and animal consumption of plants.

According to scientists, the available data do not confirm the conclusion about the widespread and dramatic recovery of willow trees after the return of wolves. They believe that the impact of predators on the Yellowstone ecosystem remains significant, but its scale depends on local conditions and other natural factors.

On April 11, paleontologists revealed the secret of reproduction of the ancient ancestors of mammals. Scientists have confirmed that the ancient ancestors of mammals reproduced by laying eggs. This is evidenced by a 250 million-year-old fossil discovered in South Africa. The specimen was found almost 17 years ago during excavations in the Karoo basin in northeastern South Africa.