Case Study - The Wolves of Isle Royale_RWSC2331

docx

School

Texas A&M University, Kingsville *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

2331

Subject

Biology

Date

Dec 6, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by LieutenantTeam5816

Name: __________________________________________ Date: ______ Case Study - The Wolves of Isle Royale ? For about a week in February of 2018, an ice bridge formed between Isle Royale and the nearby Ontario mainland. Scientists crossed their fingers and hoped it would hold long enough for some wayward wolves to meander out onto the island and stay, the first to do so in decades. A decade ago, there were 24 wolves living on the island, having crossed an ice bridge. In 2018, only two wolves remained on the island. The island is also home to moose and other small mammals. The island is a boreal forest, similar to Canada’s mainland. Trees include spruce and ash, with smaller shrubs like juniper and prickly rose. The isle also has flowering plants and grasses that feed insects, birds, and small mammals. Biogeography Moose likely came to Isle Royale, an island about 580 square kilometers in Lake Superior, in the early 1900s by swimming from the mainland. Without any predators around, the population shot up and then crashed in 1934 as the moose depleted the food available to them on the island. A wolf population was established on the island in the late 1940s, probably after crossing an “ice bridge” from the mainland. In 1958, scientists started monitoring the cyclical rise and fall of moose and wolf numbers, with one population influencing the other, but also responding to other factors, such as disease, tick outbreaks, severe winters, and immigrant wolves. The wolf population grew to as many as 50 individuals in 1980, and 24 wolves lived on the island as recently as 2009. With warming climates, ice bridges to the island do not regularly occur, so it is unlikely mainland wolves will repopulate the island. ? The National Park Service (NPS) must make a decision: should they repopulate the island with wolves from other locations, or allow the wolf population on the island to naturally die off? P redator Prey Relationship In this community, the moose is the prey and the wolves are the Typical Predator Prey Cycle Wolves and Moose - Isle Royale

predator. A well-known ecological phenomenon is the predator- prey cycle. The graph shows cycling in the numbers of wolves and moose over a 60-year period. The first graph on page 1 shows an ecosystem where predator and prey numbers fluctuate in a cyclic pattern. When prey numbers decline, the predator numbers will also decline. This allows time for prey numbers to recover. As they increase in number, so do the predators. 1. Compare the typical predator prey cycle graph to the Isle Royale moose wolves until the year 2009. How are they similar? 2. In the early 1980’s, there was an outbreak of parvovirus. This virus affects canines and is deadly. How did this affect the moose population? 3. In 2018, the wolf population had only two members. What will likely happen to the moose population numbers? 4. Based on your answer in question three, what might you expect to happen to the vegetation with regard to moose population numbers? How does predation in the form herbivory play a role? 5. Ticks can cause Lyme disease. Using the food web, discuss how removing wolves may increase Lyme disease. Prairie Ecosystem Food Web Resources https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/wolves-isle-royale https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/isle-royale-moose-numbers-remain-high https://isleroyalewolf.org/ https://www.michiganradio.org/environment-climate-change/2022-08-25/report-isle-royale-wolf-population-surges-after-reintroduction https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/08/wolf-population-doubles-more-pups-new-packs-on-michigans-remote-isle-royale.html

https://www.mtu.edu/news/2012/03/wolf-population-isle-royale-drops-lowest-has-ever-been.html https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.348.6233.383

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Related Documents

lab 2 - microscopy and cells.docx

Lab 17.docx

Lab 4 rat dissection .docx

Research Report Template (1).docx

Lab 13. Version 2-Pulse and blood pressure online lab-1.docx

Lab 10. Version 2-Testing special senses online lab-1.docx

Exam 3 - Details - Kahoot!.pdf

ARCL 228 Assignement 3.pdf

2023FAE1BIO153L_TheEndocrineSystemNoDissection_297623.pdf

Community Ecology Practice - IN CLASS.docx

Antibiotic resistance-2.docx

Return of the Whoop 2021 (student).docx

Recommended textbooks for you

Principles Of Pharmacology Med Assist

Biology

ISBN:9781337512442

Author:RICE

Publisher:Cengage

Case Studies In Health Information Management

Biology

ISBN:9781337676908

Author:SCHNERING

Publisher:Cengage

Comprehensive Medical Assisting: Administrative a...

Nursing

ISBN:9781305964792

Author:Wilburta Q. Lindh, Carol D. Tamparo, Barbara M. Dahl, Julie Morris, Cindy Correa

Publisher:Cengage Learning

Body Structures & Functions Updated

Biology

ISBN:9780357191606

Author:Scott

Publisher:Cengage

Body Structures & Functions

Biology

ISBN:9781285695495

Author:Scott

Publisher:Cengage

Curren'S Math For Meds: Dosages & Sol

Nursing

ISBN:9781305143531

Author:CURREN

Publisher:Cengage

SEE MORE TEXTBOOKS

Recommended textbooks for you

Principles Of Pharmacology Med Assist
Biology
ISBN:9781337512442
Author:RICE
Publisher:Cengage
Case Studies In Health Information Management
Biology
ISBN:9781337676908
Author:SCHNERING
Publisher:Cengage
Comprehensive Medical Assisting: Administrative a...
Nursing
ISBN:9781305964792
Author:Wilburta Q. Lindh, Carol D. Tamparo, Barbara M. Dahl, Julie Morris, Cindy Correa
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Body Structures & Functions Updated
Biology
ISBN:9780357191606
Author:Scott
Publisher:Cengage
Body Structures & Functions
Biology
ISBN:9781285695495
Author:Scott
Publisher:Cengage
Curren'S Math For Meds: Dosages & Sol
Nursing
ISBN:9781305143531
Author:CURREN
Publisher:Cengage