Absent Eastern Wolf: Temperate Mature Forest Ecology

Eastern Coyote, White-tailed Deer, and Deer Ticks

The population boom of white-tailed deer in New York state presents risks to the wellbeing of people in the state. First, deer are often involved in car accidents and can cause loss of life in such events and major damage to property. Deer also are primary threats to agriculture in the region, eating and trampling crops. Lastly, deer are the primary distributors of deer ticks, who latch onto the deer and can populate areas miles away. Deer ticks carry Lyme Disease, a serious illness that affects the nervous system. Lyme Disease rates in the US have been increasing, primarily as a result of increasing tick populations and the spread of ticks in areas that were previously clear of the insect. Destruction of habitat have led to the disappearance of species that once controlled deer populations through predation, like the Eastern Wolf and the Eastern Cougar. More recently, the Eastern Coyote has taken up the role of keystone species, but human expansion and interaction are also threatening this species.

My name is Claudia Buszta, and I am an Environmental Geography major. I am working this year with Professor Haughwout on the 6th E Street project to illustrate how different organisms relate to each other within their ecological communities. Our focus is on regional ecosystems in New York State, identifying how native species interact with human activity. These summaries are meant to accompany the visualizations of the ecologies within the tunnels.