L. David Mech
Lucyan David Mech (born January 18, 1937 in Auburn , New York ) is an American behavioral scientist who made important contributions to the understanding of the way of life and behavior of wild wolves .
Career
Dave Mech studied conservation at Cornell University in Ithaca until 1958 and completed his doctorate in wildlife ecology at Purdue University , Lafayette in 1962 . Among other things, he has been an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Behavioral Biology at the University of Minnesota since 1979 and is employed by the Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey (formerly: Division of Endangered Species Research, US Fish and Wildlife Service ) at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown , North Dakota . From 1978 to 2013 David Mech was chairman of the IUCN Wolf Specialist Group together with Luigi Boitani from 2009 . After this was integrated into the IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group , he is Adviser to the Chair of this specialist group.
Professional activity
His research is concerned with the behavior and ecology of wolves, especially with the so-called “ predator-prey relationship ” (better: wolf-prey interaction) and population development . In addition, he has dealt with social behavior within a wolf pack.
Since 1968 Dave Mech has been researching the dynamics of the wolf population and its influence on the deer population in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota . In the same way he has been working in Canada on Ellesmere Island since 1986 . Since 1997, he has also been studying the interactions between wolves and elk deer in Yellowstone National Park .
His results have helped to shed light on the clichéd understanding of the wolf and to recognize it as an important part of the natural habitat. Dave Mech is also actively campaigning for the wolf to be reintroduced into areas where human actions have made it disappear.
Publications
- Wolves of Isle Royale . United States Government Printing Office , 210pp, 1966.
- The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species . Doubleday, 1970, reissued in 1981.
Web links
- Literature by and about L. David Mech in the catalog of the German National Library
- Homepage of David Mech
- International Wolf Center
- “Neither sinners nor saints.” David Mech organized the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Interview on spiegel.de from Der Spiegel 44/2015
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b IUCN / SSC Canid Specialist Group. Members. (Accessed April 22, 2018)
- ^ Website of the IUCN / SSC Wolf Specialist Group ( Memento from July 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mech, L. David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mech, Lucyan David; Mech, Dave |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American behavioral scientist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 18, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Auburn, New York |