Changes in Ecosystems by Top Predators Shown Though Remote Sensing

Scientists have reported a hypothesis that the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming in 1995 changed the trophic cascade and allowed vegetation and tree cover within riparian areas in the park to increase. This study tests this hypothesis with an object-based supervised classification using eCognition with Landsat satellite imagery from 1995 and 2020. The results help support this hypothesis as the total area for the 1995 tree/bush cover was 16,414 acres and it increased to 17,355 acres in the 2020 imagery. This was an increase of 941 acres, or 6%, in 25 years with 93.5% confidence. This study showed that this is a viable method for detecting change over time and provides supporting evidence for carnivore reintroduction within a National Park.