Keynote Species

Keynote Species

Wolves are keynote species because they maintain a balance in the ecosystem. For instance, their absence from the Yellowstone National Park led to a system imbalance, but their reintroduction triggered an eventual return to normalcy. The cause-effect relationship between wolves and different ecosystem areas is attributed to their role in steering different trophic levels (LavallÃ, 2018). For instance, they maintain the grazer population as a predator, and this improves land health. Moreover, when wolves are killed or eliminated, poor land health due to over-foraging diminishes river wildlife land. Therefore, wolves play a critical role in maintaining the population of scavengers. Do you need help with your assignment ? Contact us at eminencepapers.com.

The simulation model highlights the existing population control between wolves and grazers because they prey on elk and moose. When grazers increase, tree density is reduced, especially Willows and Aspens, which eventually impacts the river’s health. Besides, the effect is felt on beavers that built dams to balance the ecosystem. A low number of wolves denotes no predator pressure, with elk and moose moving to lower areas and wandering freely in rivers, feeding on their bank vegetation. Foraging and movement along the river banks imply a low forage population (vegetation) along the river bank to prevent soil erosion (LavallÃ, 2018). Therefore, changing the environment implies that beavers have no materials or food source and migrate out of the area.

The low wolf population also affects birds as food and nesting locations are diminished with reduced tree population density. The lack of trees on the river banks denotes no shade cast on the river despite the cast shade being a habitat for fish by creating cool water points. Furthermore, with more movements from elk and moose, soil erosion occurs. The lack of Beavers means that there will be no slow-moving water from dams to act as habitats for otters, fish, muskrats, and waterfalls. Slow-moving water promotes insect populations as food for birds, fish, and other animals. Wolves also leave kills for scavengers, and when the kills are absent, they migrate in search of better habitats. Therefore, as keynote species, the absence of wolves triggers an ecosystem imbalance that affects animals, plants, and the area’s geography.

References

LavallÃ, C. D. (2018). Social behavior and trophic interactions of gray wolves (Canis lupus), the keystone species in Yellowstone National Park. Proceedings of Manitoba’s Undergraduate Science and Engineering Research, 4.

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Keynote Species

A keystone species is a species within an ecosystem that influences most all other species in that system. If a keystone species is removed from the system, the system will either collapse or the removal will cause a dramatic change in the species composition of the system. Use the link below to access the ISEE Exchange website to explore a systems model related to the removal of the wolves, a keystone species in Yellowstone National Park.

https://exchange.iseesystems.com/public/isee/wolves-and-trees/index.html

Click on the paw to open the model and read the background of the story. Next, explore the box-and-arrow type model of the effect of wolves on vegetation in Yellowstone National Park.

Summarize the cause-and-effect model in words, including the effect on other animals and ‘ecosystem’ or ‘land health’.

Keynote Species

• What would happen to a system if wolves are removed from it?

Next, explore the box-and-arrow model. (Page 3 –  Click on the paw to read the story)

• What is the connection/relationship between wolves and moose & elk?
• How did the removal of wolves from Yellowstone change the behavior of the elk and moose?
• What is the indirect effect of wolves on the beaver population?
• Why does this happen?
• How are birds in the system affected?
• How does the decline of beavers lead to a decline in aquatic insect populations?
• What did the extermination of wolves affect the ‘health’ of rivers?
  

  Keynote Species

• How did the presence of wolf kills (carrion) affect other animals?
• How did reintroduction of wolves change the bison and elk behavior?
• How did this affect the vegetation along rivers?
• How did this affect the beaver population?
• Why do you think we refer to wolves as ‘keystone species’ to Yellowstone?
• What is a ‘keystone species’?