| A NEW
PREDATOR |
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What happens when a top predator reappears
after a 70-year hiatus? In the early 1990s, as plans were underway
to fly wolves back into their native habitat in Yellowstone,
people debated how the wolf's reappearance would impact other
species. Reintroducing wolves would restore the full complement
of species found in the ecosystem when US explorers arrived
in the early 1800s. But how would this clever predator affect
the ecosystem?
Imagine you're an elk or a moose grazing under the weak winter sun in Yellowstone in 1995. Suddenly, a gray mammal you don't recognize trots across the valley toward you. Do you run? Do you stand your ground? Do you recognize it as a predator?
For at least 40 years, generations of moose and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem had relaxed their guard, with no worries of grizzlies or wolves on the prowl. But what would happen once wolves were reintroduced? Scientists like Dr. Joel Berger wanted to know…
Would naïve prey know to avoid wolves? Would they detect clues that a dangerous carnivore was in their midst? Would they react appropriately? Would they learn?
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| FIELD NOTEBOOK |
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Download this question as a document. |
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Do you think wolves will wipe out prey populations?
Why or why not? |
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Note: Your answer doesn’t need to be
correct, but it does need to offer a logical explanation. |
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Think about what you know about the
relationship between predator and prey populations. Take
a look at the moose field guide
and the wolf field guide
in the Resource Center. |
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