Resources:

Gray Wolf: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolves.htm

Yellowstone Project Report: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-reports.htm
Short Documentary: https://video.link/w/uK1Cc
Summative Assessment
A. Data Analysis [10 marks]:

a. Since the reintroduction of wolves in 1995, the National Park Service has posted annual reports on the
wolf populations in Yellowstone National Park.
(https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/upload/wolfrep95-96.pdf page 9)
b. Review the Abstract/ Summary of each of the annual reports from 1995 to the most recent year.
c. Within the abstract, identify the total number of wolves in Yellowstone National Park at the end of each
year. Begin with the first year – 1995.

1995 - 21

1996 - 51

1997 - 86

1998 - 115 *estimate (110-120)

1999 - 118

2000 - 177

2001 - 132

2002 - 148

2003 - 174

2004 - 171

2005 - 118

2006 - 136

2007 - 171

2008 - 124

2009 - 96

2010 - 97

2011 - 98
 2012 - 83

2013 - 95

2014 - 104

2015 - 98

2016 - 108

2017 - 97

2018 - 80

2019 - 94

2020 - 123

2021 - 97

2022 - 108

d. Create a table and properly scaled graph to show the wolf population vs. time. Be sure to title your table
and graph and to label your axes. Use Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to do this. (Note: please refer to
data table in page 9, usually, of each annual report)
 e. Label the following on your graph. Create a key with definitions for each:
i. Exponential Growth - When population’s per capita growth rate stays the same irrespective of
population size, causing a population boom.
ii. Carrying Capacity (K) - The maximum population size of a biological entity that can be sustained
in a certain environment
iii. Overshoot​- The amount of excess of a biological entity’s population size which goes beyond the
carrying capacity of the environment.
iv. Dieback - A drop of the size of the population well below the environment’s carrying capacity and
maximum.

B. Answer the seven (7) Analysis Questions [35 mark]s:

[5]
1. Based on the 2014 annual report, how would you describe
the population density of the wolf population? (Random,
Uniform, or Clumped) Why? Is this what you would expect
for wolves?

According to the Annual Report of 2014, the wolves in Yellowstone National Park had a
total of 11 packs - with each pack controlling its own territory. Considering the fact that
Yellowstone National Park held 9 wolves for each pack and each of these packs
controlled their own territory in order to contribute to hunt their prey and thus survive as a
pack. This is also proven by the fact that in the year 2014, the population size of the wolf
was slightly more than its carrying capacity, meaning that there would be a dense amount
of territories to share.

[4]
2. Refer to your graph. What is the relationship between the birth (or
reproductive) rate and the death rate?
a. Between the years 1995 and 1998 [2]

From the graph, it would be apparent that between 1995 and 1998, the wolf population’s
birth rate far exceeded the death rate. Therefore, high population growth can be
observed.

b. Between the years 2002 to 2004 [2]

From the graph, it would seem apparent that between 2002 and 2004, the wolf population
went down. This means that the death rate exceeded the birth rate, as 2004 was quite a
plummet for the wolf population’s numbers.

3. Refer to your graph and describe the effect of environmental resistance / limiting [3]
factors on the population growth at the time of wolf dieback.

During the years 1995-2000, the wolves experienced an exponential growth.

However, as we know, exponential growth causes an overshoot as the population
size goes above the carrying capacity of a wolf’s environment. Due to this, it can
be concluded that the initial population growth was due to the available space as
well as the fact that the wolves had a lot of prey to consume. However, the
dieback could also be assumed to be caused by the lack of prey to hunt due to
increasing competition between the different wolf packs who now have to compete
over resources. Due to more predation of the prey, wolves would have to now
compete more in order to get their food supply.

4. Environmental resistance / Limiting factors can be classified in two broad [2]

categories – density-dependent factors and density-independent factors. Based
on your graph, explain which category you think is impacting the wolf population.

Clue: Are the factors Density-dependent or Density-independent? Why?

I believe the factors here are Density-Dependent. From the graph, it is clear that after
population growth, it is usually followed by population decline. This is most likely
because as the population grows the area in which the wolves live becomes more
populated and thus with more wolves in the same area it would become much
more dense. Therefore, it is clear that the increase in the population of the wolf
eventually leads to a decrease due to the sheer density that the wolves would live
in as new wolves are born.

5. Describe what would happen to the elk population of YNP during the wolf [3]
population dieback. Sketch a graph of the interactions between elf and wolf from
1995 to the present. This is just a sketch – I’m more interested in your knowledge
of their interactions than specific numbers.

The elk population of YNP would increase when there are fewer wolves. This is
because wolves prey on elks, and with less predators there would be less death
for the elk population
6. In recent years, there has been information documenting the wolves’ [4]
reintroduction as a success for the entire ecosystem. This phenomenon has been
referred to as the cascade effect. What is the cascade effect and how has the
return of wolves in Yellowstone benefited the entire ecosystem? Site specific
examples.

The cascade effect is an unexpected event that occurs in the environment which
causes a change in the ecosystem around it. In this case, the cascade event is
the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park which resulted in the elk
population being hunted more. Due to the elk population consuming surrounding
plants as elks are herbivores, this would relieve pressure in the environment and
allow for more plants to grow which would otherwise have been eaten by the elks.

7. What is the estimated carrying capacity of Yellowstone? Understand that there [4]
are many factors that influence this number. You may be able to decipher two
different time periods where it appears that the wolf population has stabilized and
reached a carrying capacity. What do you think happened to cause a
destabilization in the population size? Site specific examples from the wolf
reports.

From the graph, I believe that the carrying capacity of Yellowstone is 100 wolves. This
is because when the population is stable, it is always close to 100 and when it
exceeds this amount, it always goes back down and rebounds to 100 before
having a stable population size around that range again. I believe that causes
range from disease to specific incidents mentioned in the 2021 report which stated
that 50% of wolf mortality comes from fighting between packs. With this example,
it can be concluded a major reason the population drops after reaching overshoot
is due to the fact that a higher population causes more deadly competition.