Mountain Lions Trigger 64-Fold Plant Surge in 4.9-Sq-Km California Preserve

3 articles · Updated · Mongabay.com · Jun 30

Nine years of camera-trap data at Stanford’s Jasper Ridge preserve linked rising mountain lion activity after 2012 to a trophic cascade across the food web.
Coyotes cut nighttime activity by 25% and deer by 34%, while gray foxes and brush rabbits shifted behavior; woody plant density rose 64-fold over 17 years as browsing pressure eased.
Researchers said statistical analysis and a companion COVID-19 lockdown study pointed away from human activity or drought as the main driver, though some links—especially involving foxes, rabbits and vegetation—remain preliminary.
Jasper Ridge covers just 4.9 square kilometers and cannot support resident pumas, making its connection to the Santa Cruz Mountains central to the finding that wildlife corridors can let apex predators reshape even suburban preserves.
With 82% of U.S. protected areas smaller than 5 square kilometers, the study argues small urban-edge reserves can still host functioning ecosystems if top predators can move through fragmented landscapes.