Collaborative Research: Grizzly Bear Digging in Subalpine Meadows: Influences on Plant Distributions and Nitrogen Availability

斯坦福灰熊在亚高山草甸挖掘：对植物分布和氮有效性的影响灰熊是杂食动物，经常以冰川百合等植物的球茎为食。熊的觅食行为会颠覆亚高山的大片草甸。初步观察表明，这种活性可能增加氮素有效性、种子产量、球茎氮和球茎碳水化合物含量。因此，这些大型动物可能在亚高山植物群落的结构和功能中发挥重要作用。该项目将在蒙大拿州落基山国家公园的内部和邻近地区严格验证这一假设。这项研究将考虑大型杂食性动物在其居住的生态系统中的作用。

9509597 Stanford Grizzly Bear Digging in Subalpine Meadows: Influences on Plant Distributions and Nitrogen Availability Grizzly bears are omnivores who often feed intensively on bulbs of plants such as glacier lilies. Foraging by bears can overturn large tracts of subalpine meadows. Ppeliminary observations suggest that this activity may increase nitrogen availability, seed production, bulb nitrogen, and bulb carbohydrate content. As such, these large animals may play major roles in the structure and function of subalpine plant communities. This project will rigorously test this hypothesis in areas inside and adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park in Montana. This research will consider the role of a large omnivorous animal on the ecosystems in which they reside.