European wood bison
17-12-2023
1 min read
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Overview:
A new study has warned that the ongoing war in Ukraine could act as a spanner in the works for efforts to save the last remnant of the megafauna European wood bison.
About European wood bison
- It is also known as wisent.
- European bison (Bison bonasus) are the largest and heaviest land mammals in Europe.
- There were formerly three subspecies, although only one (Bison bonasus bonasus) remains – the other two are now extinct.
- Habitat: Grassland, deciduous and mixed forests.
- The wisent roamed across Europe in large herds at the end of the last ice age.
- It was almost wiped out by 1927 from Europe.
- It serves an important role as an ecosystem engineer, restoring grassland habitat.
- Conservation status:
- IUCN: Near Threatened
- Threats: Rapid environmental change and hunting by humans were the main drivers of the wisent’s extirpation across Europe.
- The scientists found that hunting caused range loss in the north and east of the wisent’s distribution, while land use change was responsible for losses in the west and south.
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Q1)What is Deciduous forest?
Deciduous forest vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season. These forests are found in many areas worldwide and have distinctive ecosystems, understory growth, and soil dynamics.