#united states

[reasonsforhope]

"A new study reveals the profound ecological effects of wolves and other large carnivores in Yellowstone National Park, showcasing the cascading effects predators can have on ecosystems. In Yellowstone, this involves wolves and other large carnivores, elk, and willows.

The research, which utilized previously published data from 25 riparian (streamside) sites and collected over a 20 year period, from 2001 to 2020, revealed a remarkable 1,500% increase in willow crown volume along riparian zones [note: riparian means in/around rivers] in northern Yellowstone National Park, driven by the effects on elk due to a restored large carnivore guild following the reintroduction of wolves in 1995–96, and other factors...

Pictured: Upstream view of Blacktail Deer Creek in 2005 and 2021, northern range of Yellowstone National Park.

Trophic cascades, the effects of predators on herbivores and plants, have long been a topic of ecological interest. The study quantifies the strength of this phenomenon for the first time using willow crown volume as a proxy for aboveground biomass, demonstrating a significant three-dimensional recovery of riparian vegetation represented by the growth in both crown area and height of established willows.

The strength of the Yellowstone trophic cascade observed in this study surpasses 82% of strengths presented in a synthesis of global trophic cascade studies, underscoring the strength of Yellowstone's willow recovery process. The authors note that there is considerable variability in the degree of recovery and not all sites are recovering.

Even though riparian areas in the western United States comprise a small portion of the landscape, the study has particular relevance since these areas provide important food resources and habitat for more wildlife species than any other habitat type. These areas also connect upland and aquatic ecosystems and are widely known for their high diversity in species composition, structure, and productivity.

"Our findings emphasize the power of predators as ecosystem architects," said William Ripple. "The restoration of wolves and other large predators has transformed parts of Yellowstone, benefiting not only willows but other woody species such as aspen, alder, and berry-producing shrubs. It's a compelling reminder of how predators, prey, and plants are interconnected in nature."

Pictured: An across channel view in 2005 and 2021 of a downstream reach on Blacktail Deer Creek, northern range of Yellowstone National Park.

Wolves were eradicated and cougars driven to low numbers from Yellowstone National Park by the 1920s. Browsing by elk soon increased, severely damaging the park's woody vegetation, especially in riparian areas. Similar effects were seen in places like Olympic National Park in Washington, and Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada after wolves were lost.

While it's well understood that removing predators can harm ecosystems, less is known about how strongly woody plants and ecosystems recover when predators are restored. Yellowstone offers a rare opportunity to study this effect since few studies worldwide have quantified how much plant life rebounds after large carnivores are restored.

"Our analysis of a long-term data set simply confirmed that ecosystem recovery takes time. In the early years of this trophic cascade, plants were only beginning to grow taller after decades of suppression by elk. But the strength of this recovery, as shown by the dramatic increases in willow crown volume, became increasingly apparent in subsequent years," said Dr. Robert Beschta, an emeritus professor at Oregon State University.

"These improving conditions have created vital habitats for birds and other species, while also enhancing other stream-side conditions."

The research points to the utility of using crown volume of stream-side shrubs as a key metric for evaluating trophic cascade strength, potentially advancing methods for riparian studies in other locations. It also contextualizes the value of predator restoration in fostering biodiversity and ecosystem resilience."

-via Phys.org, February 6, 2025

[happynowblog]

[robot-roadtrip-rants]

I gotta admit, the Hebrew name for the United States is way cooler than the English name. "Lands of the Covenant." That's fucking badass.

[bleach69]

NIRVANA, 16.02.90 - Bogart's, Long Beach, CA 🇺🇸.

[lastblacklibertarian]

TRUMP IS LITTERALLY HITLER! GUYS? GUYS? WE'VE BEEN TELLING YOU HE'S HITLER SINCE 2016! WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE US?? MAYBE YOU'LL BELIEVE US IF WE CALL HIM A FASCIST AGAIN! HE'S LITTERALLY A NAZI!

As a kid learning about the holocaust, I never understood how people could let Nazis rise to power. But now I’m watching it happen in real time.

[randommusicvid]

Thank God You Introduced Me to Your Sister - Sarah Barrios

[11-angry-bees]

i know this is the anti US military website and that i myself am an anti US military person but that doesnt stop me from thinking about how a lot of the people who are in the US forces are there because they are being exploited and manipulated. I saw a video somewhat recently where an interviewer goes around asking people why they joined the military, and the answers honestly are super fucked. Nobody was there because they wanted to 'defend freedom' or whatever. One girl said she joined so her mom could get her citizenship. A lot of people joined bc theyre poor and the job market is really bad right now. More than one person joined bc they couldnt afford school. More than one person joined bc they couldnt afford healthcare. I know someone personally who joined because they were blackout drunk and a recruiter got them to enlist.

I know this is a controversial opinion, but the majority of the victims of the united states are the people that live inside its borders. Im not saying that these are the people who are the most harmed by the US, to be clear, just the most numerous.

[ghostpebble]

okay with this? we're not. we have a government who no longer represents our best interests, and millionaires who care more about turning a million into a billion rather than the people they're getting the money from. we have a country run and built by immigrants, and yet the man who lied his way into power is deporting them and profiling anyone who does not meet physical "american nationality." we have doctors who broke the law by revealing a trans person's medical records to the public being pardoned because of hateful legislation. we have colleges turning down student thesis' because they contain the words she/her, woman/women or gender. we have a disgustingly high number of school shootings, 330 last year, nearly once a day, because money and access to weapons is more important than children's lives. we have an abortion ban that actively harms and kills women, and more laws regulating women's autonomy then laws regulating firearms. we have books being banned and thrown into dumps because they were "anti-american," and yet the books were only socialist and anti-communist stories about protesting inhumane states of government. we have a multibillionaire nazi with the nation in the palm of his heil hand, and a convicted felon doing the opposite of what he said he would when he entered office (predictably). we have drills in school to hide from shooters, children who have escape routes from every classroom mapped out, and plans to hide under the bodies of friends just to survive. we have a healthcare system that has degraded so vastly that insurance can decide whether or not to give you medicine that keeps you alive and live-saving surgeries that cost your mortgage. we have harmful, one-sided media censorship on apps that were our only easy access outlets and connections to the world. we have police officers that turn off bodycams to hurt and that laugh after they've done the hurting. we have fear. we have hate.

we also have thousands of students protesting war by staying on their college campus for weeks. we have people marching down streets and flooding the courtyards of courthouses and government buildings with picket signs and megaphones. we have people who protest through more violent means that not all of us stand for, but all of us are helped by. we have people who apologize for being american because they hate themselves for being from such a hateful place. we have people that are not okay with this, just like other countries who are not okay with this and protest for us, with us (and it's hard to see you, with the censorship and no media coverage, but we see you. thank you).

just like with any group, americans are not all the same. lumping us in together disregards any of the fights and protests millions participate in.

we are not all okay with this. no one should be.

This shit costs 200rs... 2.1 $ or something... Why the fuck Americans are okay with this...

[dawatcher]

[sunset-states]

Why do i need to sit and watch my rights disappear because some people don’t like who I am and what I represent? Why was a convicted felon even able to run for president? Why are years of protests and fighting for equal rights for all being taken away because one person disagrees? Why do I have to stand up every morning in school and end the pledge of allegiance with “equality and justice for all” when I am not equal to all, and I do not feel I have justice. Why do I, a 14 year old, have to hide who I am for the next 4 years because my government wishes to remove laws that protect me. Why are people still telling me that the fear of what my future holds is unfounded? My future is in your hands America. And I have the right to be worried as I watch my rights slip away from me.

[thedialoguedilemma]

President Donald Trump posted this on his Truth Social account today. I predict he is about to do something very illegal against the Constitution and claim it’s under the guise of “saving the country”

He has been undermining court orders and ignoring halts to access sensitive information. He’s been ignoring judges orders to halt federal firings as he is planning an additional 15,000 IRS agents to be laid off.

He is conditioning his MAGA cult to believe that he doesn’t need to follow laws because he claims to be “saving the country”

This is how dictatorships begin. Scary times.

[skull-pun]

The cheek of him to stand up there and lecture us about free speech whilst banning journalists for using Gulf of Mexico instead of America.

Sorry, I guess I didn't get the memo that free speech is now just getting to say what you want as long as it falls in line with what the president also believes in.

I'm afraid America is a little bit behind in the times, however, as countries like China, Russia, and North Korea have been using this style of free speech for decades, and their citizens love it! Better late than never I guess.

[in4newz]

[infatuatedlilbitch]

STOP DOOMSCROLLING ABOUT RFK JR AND MUSK--READ THIS INSTEAD

Oh, so RFK Jr's brilliant plan as HHS Secretary is to "cure" ADHD with labor camps and ban all psychiatric meds? LMAO these are literally the rantings of a lunatic. And that's who they've installed at every level of government.

But here's the thing: You HAVE to see this as lunacy. You CANNOT take this seriously. The second you start thinking one man could actually do this, you're thinking about Kings. DON'T.

If fucking MITCH MCCONNELL - MITCH MCCONNELL of all people - can speak out against what Trump and Musk are doing, what's YOUR representative's excuse? This is the same Mitch McConnell I've been wishing on every goddamn star would pass the fuck away, and HE can say something?

So NO MORE posts about what Musk is doing unless you're posting it with YOUR representative's silence right next to it. Look them up. Call them out. Put a lil picture of them in all of your Elon callout posts. People should know what they look like. Everyone else in America who doesn't do their fucking job gets FIRED. Why are we letting these people collect paychecks for doing NOTHING?

Look at the French - they get it. The second their government tries any of this shit, garbage collectors stop collecting, workers walk out. No discussion. Because they remember something we forgot: THEY NEED US more than we need them.

And don't give me that "but we can't protest, we live paycheck to paycheck" bullshit. You're living paycheck to paycheck BECAUSE you won't protest. BECAUSE you won't unite. BECAUSE you're too scared to imagine what would happen if we ALL just stopped for ONE DAY.

Your representatives work for YOU. Start acting like it.

And if you're not ready to confront other aspects of solidarity yet? Fine. Just remember we're ALL united in oppression under being members of the working class. Start there.