Question

How did the removal of wolves from Yellowstone National Park impact the flow of matter and energy in the park

Answer 1

The removal of wolves from Yellowstone National Park resulted in negative impacts on the ecosystem, including overgrazing by elk and a decline in vegetation. However, when wolves were reintroduced, the ecosystem began to recover as vegetation regrew and habitats improved.

Step-by-step explanation:

The removal of wolves from Yellowstone National Park had a significant impact on the flow of matter and energy in the park. Wolves are a keystone species in the ecosystem, meaning that they play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and the balance of the ecosystem. With the absence of wolves, the elk population increased, which led to overgrazing and a decline in vegetation.

This decline in vegetation negatively impacted the habitat of various species, including beavers and fish. With less vegetation along streambanks, erosion increased, and the quality of the water in the creeks deteriorated.

However, when wolves were reintroduced in 1995, the ecosystem began to recover. The presence of wolves altered the foraging behavior of elk, causing them to avoid streambanks. This allowed vegetation, such as willow and cottonwood seedlings, to regrow, reducing erosion and improving fish habitat. Beavers also benefitted from this habitat change.

Answer 2

The removal of just a single species from a food web can have devastating effects on the entire food web. In a food web, predators are organisms that feed on other organism. A prey is an organism that is used by the predator as a source of food.

In the Yellowstone National Park, the wolves were the top predators. The wolves mainly fed on elk. After the removal of wolves from the park, there were no predators to feed on elk. Hence, the population of elk increases to such a level which couldn't be supported by the habitat. Or in other words, the population of elks increased more than its carrying capacity.

Elks fed on trees like aspen. As the population of elk increased, the number of predators for aspen increased. Hence, the population of aspen trees declined. As aspen tree was also the source of food and shelter for other organisms, hence they were affected too.