Editing Grand Teton National Park (section)

== Ecology ==

=== Flora ===
[[File:Low Larkspur Grand Teton.jpg|thumb|right|Low larkspur is one of over a hundred flower species found in the park.]]
[[File:Pinus albicaulis 8574.JPG|right|thumb|Whitebark pine cones protect seeds that are an important food source.]]

Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding region host over 1,000 species of [[vascular plant]]s.<ref name=plants>{{cite web|title=Plants|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/plants.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 2, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107225627/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/plants.htm|archive-date=November 7, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> With an altitude range of over {{convert|7000|ft|abbr=on}}, the park has a number of different ecological zones including [[alpine tundra]], the [[Rocky Mountains subalpine zone]] where [[spruce-fir forests]] are dominant, and the valley floor, where a mixed conifer and [[deciduous]] forest zone occupies regions with better soils intermixed with [[sagebrush]] plains atop alluvial deposits.<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Plants|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/plants.pdf|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 2, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414013212/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/plants.pdf|archive-date=April 14, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Additionally, [[wetlands]] near some lakes and in the valley floor adjacent to rivers and streams cover large expanses, especially along the Snake River near Oxbow Bend near Moran and Willow Flats near the Jackson Lake Lodge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wetlands, Marshes and Swamps|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/wetlands.htm|work=Natural Features & Ecosystems|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 6, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002021922/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/wetlands.htm|archive-date=October 2, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Altitude, available soils, [[wildfire]] incidence, [[avalanche]]s and human activities have a direct impact on the types of plant species in an immediate area.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Patten|first=Robin|author2=Dennis Knight|title=Snow Avalanches and Vegetation Pattern in Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A|journal=Arctic and Alpine Research|date=February 1994|volume=26|issue=1|jstor=1551874|pages=35–41|doi=10.2307/1551874}}</ref> Where these various niches overlap is known as an [[ecotone]].<ref name=forests>{{cite web|title=Forests|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/forests.htm|work=Natural Features and Ecosystems|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 7, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107225640/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/forests.htm|archive-date=November 7, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The range of altitude in Grand Teton National Park impacts the types of plant species found at various elevations. In the alpine zone above the [[tree line]], which in Grand Teton National Park is at approximately {{convert|10000|ft|abbr=on}}, tundra conditions prevail.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burde|first=John|title=Mammals of the National Parks|url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofnationa00burd|url-access=registration|date=May 13, 2005|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-0-8018-8097-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/mammalsofnationa00burd/page/44 44]|author2=George Feldhamer}}</ref> In this treeless region, hundreds of species of [[grass]], [[wildflower]], [[moss]] and [[lichen]] are found.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grasses|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/grasses.htm|work=Plants|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 2, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622001854/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/grasses.htm|archive-date=June 22, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lichens|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/lichen.htm|work=Plants|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 2, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621221441/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/lichen.htm|archive-date=June 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In the [[subalpine]] region from the tree line to the base of the mountains, [[whitebark pine]], [[limber pine]], [[Abies lasiocarpa|subalpine fir]], and [[Picea engelmannii|Engelmann spruce]] are dominant.<ref name=forests/> In the valley floor, [[lodgepole pine]] is most common but [[Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir]], and [[Picea pungens|blue spruce]] inhabit drier areas, while [[Populus tremuloides|aspen]], [[Populus sect. Aigeiros|cottonwood]], [[alder]], and [[willow]] are more commonly found around lakes, streams, and wetlands.<ref name=forests/> However, the tablelands above the Snake River channel are mostly sagebrush plains and in terms of acreage are the most widespread habitat in the park.<ref name=habitat>{{cite web|title=Mammal-Finding Guide |url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/mammal.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526153110/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/mammal.pdf |archive-date=May 26, 2012 |work=Plan Your Visit |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The sagebrush plains or flats have 100 species of grasses and wildflowers. Slightly more elevated sections of the plains of the northern sections of Jackson Hole form forest islands with one such obvious example being Timbered Island. In this ecotone, forested islands surrounded by sagebrush expanses provide shelter for various animal species during the day and nearby grasses for nighttime foraging.<ref name=habitat/>

While the flora of Grand Teton National Park is generally healthy, the whitebark pine, and to a lesser degree the lodgepole pine, are considered at risk. In the case of the whitebark pine, an [[invasive species]] of [[fungus]] known as [[Cronartium ribicola|white pine blister rust]] weakens the tree, making it more susceptible to destruction from [[Endemism|endemic]] [[mountain pine beetle]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Whitebark Pine|url=http://www.greateryellowstonescience.org/topics/biological/vegetation/whitebarkpine|publisher=Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center|access-date=January 2, 2012|date=September 2, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920040457/http://www.greateryellowstonescience.org/topics/biological/vegetation/whitebarkpine|archive-date=September 20, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Whitebark pines generally thrive at elevations above {{convert|8000|ft|abbr=on}} and produce large seeds that are high in fat content and an important food source for various species such as the  [[grizzly bear]], [[red squirrel]] and [[Clark's nutcracker]].<ref name=whitebark>{{cite web|title=Whitebark Pine Communities |url=http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/whitebar.htm |publisher=Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, United States Geological Survey |access-date=January 2, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527120712/http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/whitebar.htm |archive-date=May 27, 2010 }}</ref> The species is considered to be a [[Keystone species|keystone]] and a foundation species; keystone in that its "ecological role (is) disproportionately large relative to its abundance"<ref name=pine>{{cite web|title=Whitebark Pine Strategy for the Greater Yellowstone Area |url=http://fedgycc.org/documents/WBPStrategyFINAL5.31.11.pdf |publisher=The Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee Whitebark Pine Subcommittee |access-date=January 2, 2012 |date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315052611/http://fedgycc.org/documents/WBPStrategyFINAL5.31.11.pdf |archive-date=March 15, 2012 }}</ref> and foundation in that it has a paramount role that "defines ecosystem structure, function, and process".<ref name=pine/> Whitebark pine has generally had a lower incidence of blister rust infection throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem than in other regions such as [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]] and the [[Cascade Range]]. The incidence of blister rust on whitebark pines in Yellowstone National Park is slightly lower than in Grand Teton.<ref name=whitebark/> Though blister rust is not in itself the cause of increased mortality, its weakening effect on trees allows native pine beetles to have more easily infest the trees, increasing mortality. While general practice in national parks is to allow nature to take its course, the alarming trend of increased disease and mortality of the vital whitebark pine trees has sparked a collaborative effort amongst various government entities to intervene to protect the species.<ref name=pine/>

=== Fauna ===
{{See also|Mammals of Grand Teton National Park}}

Sixty-one species of mammals have been recorded in Grand Teton National Park.<ref name=habitat/> This includes the [[gray wolf]], which had been extirpated from the region by the early 1900s but migrated into the Grand Teton National Park from adjacent Yellowstone National Park after the species had been reintroduced there.<ref>{{Cite web |last=River |date=2023-02-16 |title=Horsetail Creek wolf pack spotted in Jackson Hole |url=https://buckrail.com/horsetail-creek-wolves-spotted-in-jackson-hole/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=Buckrail - Jackson Hole, news |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Jonathan|title=Public Acceptance of Management Actions and Judgments of Responsibility for the Wolves of the Southern Greater Yellowstone Area: Report to Grand Teton National Park|url=http://www.fort.usgs.gov/products/publications/21531/21531.pdf|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior|access-date=April 29, 2012|author2=Shea Johnson|author3=Lori Shelby|year=2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327001954/http://www.fort.usgs.gov/products/publications/21531/21531.pdf|archive-date=March 27, 2009|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The re-establishment of the wolves has ensured that every indigenous mammal species now exists in the park.<ref name=fuller>{{cite magazine|last=Fuller|first=Alexandra|title=Yellowstone and the Tetons|url=http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/yellowstone-tetons/|magazine=National Geographic|access-date=April 29, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422174209/http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/surface-of-the-earth/yellowstone-tetons/|archive-date=April 22, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In addition to gray wolves, another 17 species of [[carnivora]]ns reside within Grand Teton National Park including grizzlies and the more commonly seen [[American black bear]]. Relatively common sightings of [[coyote]], [[North American river otter|river otter]], [[American marten|marten]] and [[American badger|badger]] and occasional sightings of [[North American cougar|cougar]], [[Canada lynx|lynx]] and [[wolverine]] are reported annually.<ref name=habitat/> A number of rodent species exist including [[yellow-bellied marmot]], [[least chipmunk]], [[muskrat]], [[North American beaver|beaver]], [[Uinta ground squirrel]], [[American pika|pika]], [[snowshoe hare]], [[North American porcupine|porcupine]], and six species of bats.<ref name=habitat/>

Of the larger mammals, the most common are elk, which exist in the thousands.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elk Ecology and Management|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/elk_11.pdf|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 29, 2012|date=January 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904003441/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/elk_11.pdf|archive-date=September 4, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  Their migration route between the National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park is through Grand Teton National Park, so while easily seen anytime of the year, they are most numerous in the spring and fall. Other [[ungulate]]s in the park include moose, [[American bison|bison]], and [[pronghorn]]—the fastest land mammal in the western hemisphere.  The park's [[moose]] tend to stay near waterways and wetlands.<ref name=habitat/> Between 100 and 125 bighorn sheep dwell in the alpine and rocky zones of the peaks.<ref name=habitat/><ref>{{cite book|title=America's Natural Places|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0-313-35318-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/americasnaturalp00sapp_0/page/133 133]|url=https://archive.org/details/americasnaturalp00sapp_0|url-access=registration|editor=Methea Sapp|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=November 25, 2009}}</ref>

Over 300 species of birds have been sighted in the park including the [[calliope hummingbird]], the smallest bird species in mainland North America, as well as [[trumpeter swan]]s, which is North America's largest waterfowl.<ref name=birds>{{cite web|title=Birds|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/birds.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=December 1, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621054321/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/birds.htm|archive-date=June 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In addition to trumpeter swans, another 30 species of waterfowl have been recorded including [[blue-winged teal]], [[common merganser]], [[American wigeon]] and the colorful but reclusive [[harlequin duck]] which is occasionally spotted in Cascade Canyon.<ref name=guide>{{cite web|title=Bird Finding Guide |url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/birds.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824164456/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/upload/birds.pdf |archive-date=August 24, 2009 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Both [[Bald eagle|bald]] and [[golden eagle]]s and other birds of prey such as the [[osprey]], [[red-tailed hawk]], [[American kestrel]] and occasional sightings of [[peregrine falcon]] have been reported.<ref name=checklist>{{cite web|title=Birds of Jackson Hole |url=http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r6/jackhole.htm |work=Bird Checklists of the United States |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=January 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203210250/http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r6/jackhole.htm |archive-date=December 3, 2012 }}</ref> Of the 14 species of owls reported, the most common is the [[great horned owl]], though the [[boreal owl]] and [[great grey owl]] are also seen occasionally.<ref name=checklist/> A dozen species of woodpeckers have been reported, as have a similar number of species of warblers, plovers and gulls.<ref name=checklist/> The vocal and gregarious [[black-billed magpie]] frequents campgrounds while [[Steller's jay]] and Clark's nutcracker are found in the backcountry. The sage covered plains of Jackson Hole are favored areas for [[sage grouse]], [[Brewer's sparrow]] and [[sage thrasher]]s, while the wetlands are frequented by [[great blue heron]], [[American white pelican]], [[sandhill crane]] and on rare occasions its [[endangered species|endangered]] relative, the [[whooping crane]].<ref name=guide/><ref name=checklist/>

The [[Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout]] (or Snake River cutthroat trout) is the only native trout species in Grand Teton National Park.<ref name=fish>{{cite web|title=Fish|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/fish.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=December 1, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122033353/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/fish.htm|archive-date=November 22, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It is also the only subspecies of [[cutthroat trout]] that is exclusively native to large streams and rivers. Various researchers have not been able to identify any genetic differences between the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout and the [[Yellowstone cutthroat trout]], though in terms of appearances, the Snake River subspecies has much smaller spots that cover a greater portion of the body, and the two subspecies inhabit different ecological niches.<ref name="behnke">{{cite book|last=Behnke|first=Robert|title=Trout and Salmon of North America|year=2002|publisher=Free Press|isbn=978-0-7432-2220-4|pages=175–177}}</ref> The Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout was identified by some researchers as a separate subspecies by the mid-1990s, and is managed as a distinct subspecies by the state of Wyoming, but is not yet recognized as such by the neighboring states of Idaho and Montana.<ref name=behnke/><ref name=kirk>{{cite web|last=Van Kirk|first=Robert|title=Exploring differences between fine-spotted and large-spotted Yellowstone cutthroat trout|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm8_047783.pdf|publisher=Idaho Chapter American Fisheries Society|access-date=January 7, 2012|author2=James Capurso|author3=Mark Novak|year=2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004235500/http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm8_047783.pdf|archive-date=October 4, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout is found only in the Snake River and tributaries below the Jackson Lake dam to the Palisades Reservoir in Idaho. Other non-native species of trout such as the [[rainbow trout]] and [[lake trout]] were introduced by the Wyoming Fish and Game Department or migrated out of Yellowstone.<ref name=fishGY>{{cite journal|last=O'Ney|first=Susan|author2=Rob Gipson|title=A Century of Fisheries Management in Grand Teton National Park|journal=Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Scientific Conference on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem|date=October 17–19, 2005|pages=131–134|citeseerx=10.1.1.565.8446}}</ref> Today five trout species inhabit park waters.<ref name=fish/> Native species of fish include the [[mountain whitefish]], [[longnose dace]], [[mountain sucker]] and non-native species include the [[Utah chub]] and [[Arctic grayling]].<ref name=fish/>

Only four species of reptiles are documented in the park: three species of snakes which are the [[garter snake|wandering garter snake]], the less commonly seen valley garter snake, and [[rubber boa]], as well as one lizard species, the northern [[sagebrush lizard]], that was first reported in 1992. None of the species are venomous.<ref>{{cite web|title=Reptiles|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/reptiles.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=December 2, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622011541/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/reptiles.htm|archive-date=June 22, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Six amphibian species have been documented including the [[Columbia spotted frog]], [[boreal chorus frog]], [[tiger salamander]] and the increasingly rare [[boreal toad]] and [[northern leopard frog]].<ref name=amphibians>{{cite web|title=Amphibians|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/amphib.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=December 1, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621154906/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/amphib.htm|archive-date=June 21, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Species List |url=http://www.fort.usgs.gov/RARMI/rarmi_spplists_gyellow.asp |work=Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative: Rocky Mountain Region |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=January 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235006/http://www.fort.usgs.gov/RARMI/rarmi_spplists_gyellow.asp |archive-date=December 2, 2013 }}</ref> A sixth amphibian species, the [[American bullfrog|bullfrog]], was introduced.<ref name=amphibians/> An estimated 10,000 insect species frequent the park; they pollinate plants, provide a food source for birds, fish, mammals, and other animals, and help in the decomposition of wood.<ref name=insects>{{cite web|title=Insects|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/insects.htm|work=Nature and Science|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 7, 2012|date=December 7, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622001447/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/insects.htm|archive-date=June 22, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In one example of the importance of insects to the ecosystem, swarms of [[Army cutworm|Army cutworm moth]]s die in huge numbers after mating and provide a high fat and protein diet for bears and other predators.<ref name=insects/> One study concluded that when this moth species is most available, bears consume 40,000 moths per day which is roughly 20,000&nbsp;kcal/day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grizzly Bear and Black Bear Ecology|url=http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/grizzlyb.htm|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=January 7, 2011|date=August 1, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527125900/http://www.nrmsc.usgs.gov/research/grizzlyb.htm|archive-date=May 27, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Grand Teton National Park permits the hunting of elk to keep the populations of that species regulated. This provision was included in the legislation that combined Jackson Hole National Monument and Grand Teton National Park in 1950.<ref name=hunting>{{cite web|title=Elk Ecology and Management|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/elk_11.pdf|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 22, 2012|date=January 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904003441/http://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/upload/elk_11.pdf|archive-date=September 4, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> While some national parks in [[Alaska]] permit subsistence hunting by indigenous natives and a few other National Park Service managed areas allow hunting under highly regulated circumstances, hunting in American national parks is not generally allowed.<ref name=hunting/><ref>{{cite journal|last=Rennicke|first=Jeff|title=Hunting in the Parks?|journal=Backpacker|date=February 1995|pages=12–13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=594DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12|access-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref> In Grand Teton National Park, hunters are required to obtain Wyoming hunting licenses and be deputized as park rangers. Hunting is restricted to areas east of the Snake River, and north of [[Moran, Wyoming|Moran]], the hunt is permitted only east of [[U.S. Route 89]].<ref name=hunting/> Proponents of continuing the elk hunt, which occurs in the fall, argue that the elk herd would become overpopulated without it, leading to vegetation degradation from overgrazing elk herds.<ref name=hunting/><ref>{{cite web|title=Annual Elk Reduction Program Begins in Grand Teton National Park|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/parknews/news-release-11-93.htm|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 22, 2012|date=October 5, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201185335/http://www.nps.gov/grte/parknews/news-release-11-93.htm|archive-date=February 1, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Opponents cite that there has been an increase of predators such as the wolf and grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park, rendering the annual hunt unnecessary and exposing hunters to attacks by grizzly bears as they become accustomed to feeding on remains left behind from the hunt.<ref name=hatch>{{cite news|last=Hatch|first=Cory|title=Attack stokes criticism of hunt|url=http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/top_stories/attack-stokes-criticism-of-hunt/image_0aeaa665-cf9e-5b7b-9d16-2fc20d0028a0.html|access-date=January 22, 2012|newspaper=Jackson Hole News and Guide|date=November 2, 2011}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="180px" class="center">
File:Mountain Lion in Grand Teton National Park.jpg|Though cougars are present in Grand Teton, they are rarely seen.
File:Moose in Grand Teton NP near Leigh Lake-750px.JPG|Moose near Leigh Lake
File:Snakecutt.jpg|Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout has tiny black spots over most of its body.
File:Bison Teton.JPG|Bison grazing in Jackson Hole
</gallery>

=== Fire ecology ===
[[File:Beaver Creek Fire.jpg|thumb|right|A forest fire near Beaver Creek]]
The role of wildfire is an important one for plant and animal species diversity.<ref name=fire>{{cite web|title=Fire Regime|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/fire.htm|work=Environmental Factors|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|date=December 2, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713041538/http://www.nps.gov/grte/naturescience/fire.htm|archive-date=July 13, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Many tree species have evolved to mainly germinate after a wildfire. Regions of the park that have experienced wildfire in historical times have greater species diversity after reestablishment than those regions that have not been influenced by fire.<ref name=fire/><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Doyle|first1=K.M.|title=Seventeen Years of Forest Succession Following the Waterfalls Canyon Fire in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming|journal=International Journal of Wildland Fire|year=1998|volume=8|issue=1|doi=10.1071/WF9980045|page=45|last2=Knight|first2=D.H.|last3=Taylor|first3=D.L.|last4=Barmore|first4=W.J.|last5=Benedict|first5=J.M.|display-authors=etal|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Though the [[Yellowstone fires of 1988]] had minimal impact on Grand Teton National Park, studies conducted before and reaffirmed after that event concluded that the suppression of natural wildfires during the middle part of the 20th century decreased plant species diversity and natural regeneration of plant communities. One study conducted 15 years before the 1988 Yellowstone National Park fires concluded that human suppression of wildfire had adversely impacted Aspen tree groves and other forest types.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Loope|first=Lloyd|author2=George Gruell|title=The Ecological Role of Fire in Natural Conifer Forests of Western and Northern America|journal=Quaternary Research|date=October 1973|volume=3|issue=3|pages=425–443|doi=10.1016/0033-5894(73)90007-0|bibcode=1973QuRes...3..425L|s2cid=128898446 |url=https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/aspen_bib/5313}}</ref> The majority of conifer species in Grand Teton National Park are heavily dependent on wildfire and this is particularly true of the Lodgepole Pine.<ref>{{cite book|last=Arno|first=Stephen|title=Mimicking nature's fire: restoring fire-prone forests in the West|date=March 16, 2005|publisher=Island Press|isbn=978-1-55963-143-3|pages=149–153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=92BUwxJDGnUC|edition=1st|author2=Carl Fiedler|access-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref> Though extremely hot canopy or crown fires tend to kill Lodgepole Pine seeds, lower severity surface fires usually result in a higher post-wildfire regeneration of this species.<ref>{{cite web|last=Anderson|first=Michelle|title=Species: Pinus contorta var. latifolia|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinconl/all.html#26|publisher=United States Forest Service|access-date=December 30, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028125813/http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/pinconl/all.html#26|archive-date=October 28, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In accordance with a better understanding of the role wildfire plays in the environment, the National Park Service and other land management agencies have developed Fire Management Plans which provide a strategy for wildfire management and are expected to best enhance the natural ecosystem.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fire Planning and Policies|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/parkmgmt/fireplans.htm|work=Fire Management|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=January 2, 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715002310/http://www.nps.gov/grte/parkmgmt/fireplans.htm|archive-date=July 15, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

=== Air and water quality ===
Grand Teton National Park is more than {{convert|100|mi|abbr=on}} air distance from any major urban or industrial area, and localized human activities have generally had a very low environmental impact on the surrounding region. However, levels of [[ammonium]] and [[nitrogen]] have been trending slightly upwards due to deposition from rain and snow that is believed to originate from regional agricultural activities.<ref name=air>{{cite web|title=Air Pollution Impacts|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/permits/aris/grte/impacts.cfm?tab=1#TabbedPanels1|work=Air resources|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 1, 2012|date=June 14, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220153855/http://www2.nature.nps.gov/air/Permits/aris/grte/impacts.cfm?tab=1#TabbedPanels1|archive-date=February 20, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Additionally, there has also been a slight increase in [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] and pesticides that have been detected in snow and some alpine lakes.<ref name=air/> Ozone and haze may be impacting overall visibility levels.<ref name=air/> Grand Teton National Park, in partnership with other agencies, erected the first air quality monitoring station in the park in 2011. The station is designed to check for various pollutants as well as ozone levels and weather.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grand Teton National Park Installs New Air Quality Monitoring Station|url=http://www.nps.gov/grte/parknews/press-release-11-86.htm|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=April 1, 2012|date=September 22, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614045621/http://www.nps.gov/grte/parknews/press-release-11-86.htm|archive-date=June 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

A 2005 study of the water of Jackson, Jenny, and Taggart Lakes indicated that all three of these lakes had virtually pristine water quality.<ref name=rhea>{{cite web|last=Rhea |first=Darren |title=Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Water, Sediment and Snow, from Lakes in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming |url=http://www.ecrc.usgs.gov/pubs/center/pdfDocs/PAH_2-05.pdf |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=April 1, 2012 |date=February 2005 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425052303/http://www.ecrc.usgs.gov/pubs/center/pdfDocs/PAH_2-05.pdf |archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref> Of the three lakes, only on Taggart Lake are motorized boats prohibited, yet little difference in water quality was detected in the three lakes.<ref name=rhea/> In a study published in 2002, the Snake River was found to have better overall water quality than other river systems in Wyoming, and low levels of pollution from [[wiktionary:anthropogenic|anthropogenic]] sources.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark|first=Melanie|title=Water-Quality Characteristics of the Snake River and Five Tributaries in the upper Snake River Basin, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1998–2002|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2004/5017/|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=April 1, 2012|author2=Wilfrid Sadler|author3=Susan O'Ney|date=September 16, 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214081849/http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2004/5017/|archive-date=February 14, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>