Home▸Ecology & Conservation Biology▸Ecology Topic 25: Rewilding and Trophic Reconnection

Rewilding & Trophic Cascade Simulator

Reintroduce an apex predator into a river valley and watch a real trophic cascade unfold: wolves change elk behaviour, browsing pressure eases, riparian willows recover, and riverbanks stabilise — modelled on Yellowstone's 1995 wolf reintroduction.

Ecology & Conservation Biology3DModerate60 FPS

A 3D river-valley ecosystem where reintroducing an apex predator sets off a documented chain reaction. Click "Introduce Wolves" and watch elk shift away from the open riverbank, willow and cottonwood cover recover along the water, and the channel itself narrow and stabilise as roots bind the soil — the full cascade behind Yellowstone's 1995 wolf reintroduction.

⚙ Under the hood

Reintroduce wolves into a landscape and watch the trophic cascade unfold live as elk numbers, vegetation cover and cascade strength respond to a Lotka-Volterra-style three-level food web.

Three.jsecologyrewildingtrophic cascadekeystone speciesfood web

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install