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Conclusion

The addition of the wolves made a huge impact, not just on the elk, but many other species too. All in all, the wolves helped the beavers by lowering the elk population so there is more vegetation for the beaver. Also, foxes benefit from the wolf reintroduction because there were lower numbers of coyotes so it was a easier to find prey. It had changed a bears niche...so the reintroduction of the wolves changed many organisms life.

Grizzly Bears

Before the presence of the wolves, grizzly bears hibernated during the winters. This consumer's population was also very low. Due to the high population of elk in Yellowstone, berries, a main food source of grizzlies, was over browsed. Bears are omnivores. The return of the wolves in the Yellowstone ecosystem allowed for more berries to grow for the bears. In addition to berries, bears also had more elk cacasses to scavenge on. It has been evident that the bears would chase a wolf off after their kill, and prey on the dead organism itself. With more food, it changed a bear’s niche: less hibernation during the winters, and the bears population went up.

Beavers

Before the wolves had been reintroduced to the community, beavers were on the verge of extinction due to a lack of vegetation. Elk exceeded Yellowstone’s carrying capacity and had over browsed stream side vegetation. When the wolves returned, elk numbers lowered and eventually the producers, such as trees and plants, could finally grow to maturity. Beavers had a unlimited amount of food at this point. Beavers could also use the trees to build dams. The dams created a new habitat for pond creatures such as otters, mink, wading birds, waterfowl, fish, amphibians, and more. The dams also caused less erosion so the water could be more pure.

The Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction in 1995

Background Information

By Helen Zou

Wolves have been misunderstood creatures due to their ferocious, hatred image for many ages. Wolves once lived all over the United States until they were hunted to almost extinction by 1926. They were finally reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. The reintroduction of the wolves, a keystone species, has stabilized the Yellowstone ecosystem by consuming elk, a species that have surged over Yellowstone’s carrying capacity. Since there were too many elk, they over browsed producers such as trees and the producers could not grow. The reestablishment of wolves have also affected many other organisms in a positive way.

Coyotes/Foxes

Before the wolf reintroduction, coyotes and foxes were in competition for prey since they had a similar niche. A niche is an way of an organism's life. Coyotes ate pronghorn fawns, small mammals, and elk calves. As a result of the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction, the coyote population decreased due to the their overlapping niche with the wolf. Since there were less coyotes, the prey population has increased and foxes have less competition for food thus increasing their population.

Resources

"Ecological Benefit of Wolves." Western Wolves. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2014. <http://wyoming.sierraclub.org>. PDF file.

"Keystone Species: How Predators Create Abundance and Stability." Mother Earth News. Web. 21 May 2014. <http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/keystone-species-zm0z11zrog.aspx#axzz2xG7ALHW0>.

Lister, and McDaniel. "The Wolves of Yellowstone." (2006): n. pag. Print.

Smith, Douglas W., Rolf O. Peterson, and Douglas B. Houston. "Yellowstone after Wolves." BioScience 53.4 (2003): 330. Web.

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000ERXVZPyQxA4/s/600/600/Wild-Yellowstone-wolf-picture-or-photo-C3C0002v.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/12/1/1322774586856/Wolves-007.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Coyote_portrait.jpg

http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/beaver.jpg

http://img1.mxstatic.com/wallpapers/03151bd2dd3b178c503d3693df6ee020_large.jpeg

http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/022/354/i02/coulson1HR.jpg?1322765879

The Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction

By Helen Zou

1995

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