Name Class Date

Ecosystems
and Communities
Interdependence in Nature
Q: How do abiotic and biotic factors shape ecosystems?

WHAT I KNOW WHAT I LEARNED

SAMPLE ANSWER: The global SAMPLE ANSWER: The global
4.1 What factors climate is affected by how climate is shaped by many
affect global much sunlight reaches Earth. factors, including solar energy,
climate? latitude, and the transport
of heat by winds and ocean
currents.

SAMPLE ANSWER:Some organisms SAMPLE ANSWER: Organisms have

are predators. Others are roles, or niches, in a
4.2 How do
organisms interact prey. community. These roles govern
with one another? how organisms interact with
other organisms.

SAMPLE ANSWER:
Ecosystems SAMPLE ANSWER: Disturbances

become more complex over cause ecosystems to change.

4.3 How do
time. Some disturbances allow the
ecosystems change
ecosystem to become more
over time?
diverse. Other disturbances
cause species to leave.

SAMPLE ANSWER: Biomes are SAMPLE ANSWER: Biomes are

shaped by average described in terms of abiotic
4.4 What are the temperature and factors like climate and soil
characteristics of precipitation. type, and biotic factors like
the major biomes? plant and animal life.

SAMPLE ANSWER:Aquatic SAMPLE ANSWER: An aquatic

ecosystems can be either ecosystem can be described

4.5 What are saltwater or freshwater. by the water’s depth,
the characteristics temperature, flow, and
of aquatic amount of dissolved
ecosystems? nutrients.

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4.1 Climate
Lesson Objectives
Differentiate between weather and climate.
Identify the factors that influence climate.

Lesson Summary
Weather and Climate Weather is the condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular
time and place. Climate is the average condition of temperature and precipitation in a region
over long periods.
▶ Climate can vary over short distances.
▶ These variations produce microclimates.

Factors That Affect Climate Climate is affected by solar energy trapped in the biosphere,
by latitude, and by the transport of heat by winds and ocean currents.
▶ Temperature on Earth stays within a range suitable for life due to the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat by gases in the atmosphere.
▶ Earth’s curvature causes different latitudes to receive less or more intense solar energy.
The unequal distribution of the sun’s heat on Earth’s surface results in three main climate
zones: polar, temperate, and tropical.
▶ Unequal heating of Earth’s surface also causes winds and ocean currents. Winds and
currents move heat and moisture through the biosphere.

Weather and Climate

1. How is weather different from climate?
Weather is the day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a particular time
and place, whereas climate is the average year-to-year condition of temperature and
precipitation in a particular region.

2. What causes microclimates to form?

Microclimates are caused by small differences in environmental conditions within a
region.

3. In the Northern Hemisphere, why are the south-facing sides of buildings often warmer
and drier than the north-facing sides?
because the south-facing sides of buildings receive more sunlight

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Factors That Affect Climate

For Questions 4–5, refer to the Visual Analogy comparing the Earth’s
atmosphere to a greenhouse.

4. What is the source of radiation for both the Earth’s atmosphere and the greenhouse?
sunlight

5. What happens to sunlight that hits Earth’s surface?

Some sunlight is reflected back by Earth’s surface, some escapes as heat into space,
some is trapped as heat by the greenhouse gases, and some is absorbed by Earth’s
surface.

For Questions 6–9, write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.
A 6. What effect do carbon dioxide and methane have on Earth’s temperature?
A. They trap heat in the atmosphere.
B. They release heat from the atmosphere.
C. They block heat from entering the ocean.
D. They block heat from reaching Earth’s surface.
D
7. How would the temperature on Earth change without the greenhouse effect?
A. The temperature at the equator would be warmer.
B. The temperature would stay the same.
C. It would be 30°C warmer.
D. It would be 30°C cooler.

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A 8. What causes solar radiation to strike different parts of Earth’s surface at an angle
that varies throughout the year?
A. Earth’s tilted axis
B. Earth’s erratic orbit
C. the moon’s orbit around Earth
D. solar flares on the sun’s surface
A 9. In which location is the sun almost directly overhead at noon all year?
A. the equator
B. the South Pole
C. the North Pole
D. North America
10. Complete the table about Earth’s three main climate zones.

Main Climate Zones

Climate Zone Location Climate Characteristics

Polar zones Areas around North and South Cold areas

poles

Temperate Between the polar zones and Ranges from hot to cold, depending on
zones the tropics the season

Tropical zones Near the equator Almost always warm

For Questions 11–14, write True if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the
underlined word or words to make the statement true.
True 11. Patterns of heating and cooling result in ocean currents.
True 12. Warm air is less dense than cool air.
True 13. Surface water moved by winds results in ocean currents.
cold 14. Deep ocean currents are caused by the sinking of warm water near the poles.

15. Describe how a change in the temperature of an ocean current might affect the climate of
a nearby coastal area.
Should a cold-water current begin to become warmer, the water in the current will
absorb less heat from the surrounding air. This will cause the climate of the nearby
coastal area to become warmer. The reverse would be true for a warm-water current
that begins to become cooler.

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4.2 Niches and Community Interactions

Lesson Objectives
Define niche.
Describe the role competition plays in shaping communities.
Describe the role predation and herbivory play in shaping communities.
Identify the three types of symbiotic relationships in nature.

Lesson Summary
The Niche Every species has its own tolerance, or a range of conditions under which it can
grow and reproduce. A species’ tolerance determines its habitat, the place where it lives.
▶ A niche consists of all the physical and biological conditions in which a species lives and
the way the species obtains what it needs to survive and reproduce.
▶ An organism’s niche must contain all of the resources an organism needs to survive. A
resource is any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space.

Competition Competition occurs when organisms try to use the same limited resources.
▶ Direct competition between species often results in one species dying out. This is the
basis of the competitive exclusion principle. This principle states that no two species can
occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at the same time.
▶ Competition helps to determine the number and type of species in a community.

Predation, Herbivory, and Keystone Species Predator-prey and herbivore-plant

interactions help shape communities.
▶ Predation occurs when one organism (the predator) captures and eats another (the prey).
▶ Herbivory is an interaction that occurs when an animal (the herbivore) feeds on
producers (such as plants).
▶ Sometimes changes in the population of a single species, often called a keystone species,
can cause dramatic changes in the structure of a community.

Symbioses Symbiosis occurs when two species live closely together in one of three ways:
mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.
▶ In mutualism, both species benefit from the relationship.
▶ In parasitism, one species benefits by living in or on the other and the other is harmed.
▶ In commensalism, one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

The Niche
1. What is a niche?
A niche is the full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism
lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions.

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2. Give an example of resources a squirrel might need.

SAMPLE ANSWER: food (acorns), space in a tree, water, air

3. Three different warbler species live in the same tree. One species feeds at the top of the
tree, the second species feeds in the middle part of the tree, and the third species feeds at
the bottom of the tree. Do all three species occupy the same niche? Explain.
No, the warblers occupy different niches because the warblers are feeding at different
locations in the tree. Therefore, they are not in competition with one another.

Competition
For Questions 4–8, write True if the statement is true. If the statement is false, change the
underlined word or words to make the statement true.
True 4. Competition occurs when organisms attempt to use the same resources.
intraspecific 5. Competition between members of the same species is known as
interspecific competition.
species 6. The competitive exclusion principle states that no two organisms can
occupy exactly the same niche in exactly the same habitat at exactly the
same time.
True 7. If two species of bacteria are grown in the same culture, one species
will always outcompete the other.
True 8. Members of the same species tend to divide resources instead of
competing over them.

Predation, Herbivory, and Keystone Species

Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.
C 9. A lion eating a zebra is an example of
A. herbivory. C. predation.
B. habitat destruction. D. a keystone species.
A 10. A cow eating grass is an example of
A. herbivory. C. habitat destruction.
B. predation. D. a keystone species.
D 11. A keystone species is one that
A. eats a mixture of plants and animals.
B. is introduced into a community after a major disturbance.
C. causes the amount of diversity in a community to decrease.
D. helps to stabilize the populations of other species in the community.

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Symbioses
12. Complete the table about main classes of symbiotic relationships.

Main Classes of Symbiotic Relationships

Class Description of Relationships

Mutualism Both species benefit from the relationship.

Commensalism One member of the association benefits and the other is neither
helped nor harmed.

Parasitism One organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it.

Match the example with the type of relationship. A relationship type may be used more
than once.
Example Type of Relationship
C 13. a tick living on the body of a deer A. mutualism
A 14. a bee eating a flower’s nectar and picking up the B. commensalism
flower’s pollen C. parasitism
B 15. a barnacle living on a whale’s skin
C 16. a tapeworm living in a person’s intestines
A 17. an aphid providing food to an ant in exchange for
protection

18. How do keystone species illustrate the interdependence of organisms living in a

community? Give an example.
SAMPLE ANSWER: A change in a keystone species can cause dramatic changes to other spe-
cies in the community. Sea otters are a keystone species in the Pacific coast commu-
nity. When the number of sea otters dropped, the other species in the community were
affected. Without the sea otters to eat them, the number of sea urchins increased. The
sea urchins are herbivores that eat kelp. The increase in sea urchins caused the kelp
population to decrease.

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4.3 Succession
Lesson Objectives
Describe how ecosystems recover from a disturbance.
Compare succession after a natural disturbance with succession after a human-caused
disturbance.

Lesson Summary
Primary and Secondary Succession The series of predictable changes that occurs in
a community over time is called ecological succession. Over the course of succession, the
number of different species usually increases.
▶ Primary succession begins in areas with no remnants of an older community. It occurs
on bare rock surfaces where no soil exists. The first species to live in an area of primary
succession are called pioneer species.
▶ Secondary succession occurs when a disturbance changes a community without
completely destroying it.

Climax Communities A climax community is a mature, relatively stable ecosystem.

▶ Secondary succession in healthy ecosystems following natural disturbances often
reproduces the original climax community.
▶ Ecosystems may or may not recover from extensive human-caused disturbances.

Primary and Secondary Succession

1. What is ecological succession?
It is a series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time.

2. What is primary succession?

It is succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists.

3. When a disturbance changes a community without removing the soil, what type of
succession follows?
secondary succession

4. Describe the process of succession in an ecosystem.

In the process of succession, older inhabitants die out, and new organisms move in.

5. Why does secondary succession typically proceed faster than primary succession?
Soil is already in place, thus a larger range of plant species can colonize the area.

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6. Use the Venn diagram to compare the two types of ecological succession.

Primary Both Secondary

succession succession

ecosystem occurs when a

occurs on
matures and disturbance does
newly exposed
becomes more not destroy
surfaces
complex the soil

7. The panels show changes taking place in an ecosystem after a volcano erupts and covers
an area with rock and ash. Number each panel in the order that changes occur. Then,
under each panel, write a description of the changes taking place.

1 3 4 2

A volcano has As the soil deepens, More species move Pioneer species, such
erupted and covered larger plants move into the area. The as lichen and certain
the area with rocks into the area. The soil grows deep grasses, begin to move
and ash. No organ- community becomes enough for trees to into the area. As they die,
isms live in the area. more complex. be able to grow. their bodies decay and
mix with weathered rock.
Soil begins to form.

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Climax Communities
For Questions 8–10, complete each statement by writing the correct word or words.
8. After a natural disaster occurs in a healthy ecosystem, secondary succession will cause the
ecosystem to return to its original climax community .
9. The clearing of a rain forest is the example of a(n) human-caused disturbance drastic
enough to prevent the original climax community from reforming.
10. During primary succession, chance plays a large role in
determining which pioneer species arrives in an area first.
11. What are the two kinds of disturbances that change ecosystems? Give an example of each.
The two kinds of disturbances that change ecosystems are natural and human
disturbances. An example of a natural disturbance is a volcanic eruption. An
example of a human disturbance is a farmer clearing a field.

12. Many biotic and abiotic factors determine how quickly ecological succession can cause a
climax community to develop in an area. Complete the graphic organizer by adding two
factors that contribute to the development of a climax community.

No major
disturbances
occurring

Development
of a Climax
Community

SAMPLE ANSWER: SAMPLE ANSWER:

increasing soil depth increasing number

of available niches

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4.4 Biomes
Lesson Objectives
Describe and compare the characteristics of the major land biomes.
Identify the areas that are not classified into a major biome.

Lesson Summary
The Major Biomes A biome is a group of terrestrial regional climate communities that
covers a large area and is characterized by soil type, climate, and plant and animal life.
▶ In tropical rain forests, the tops of tall trees form a covering called the canopy. Shorter
trees and vines form another layer called the understory. It is hot and wet all year.
▶ Tropical dry forests are found in areas with alternating wet and dry seasons. The trees in
these forests may be deciduous, meaning they shed their leaves during a particular season.
▶ In a tropical grassland, grassy areas are spotted with isolated trees.
▶ Deserts have less than 25 centimeters of precipitation annually.
▶ Temperate grasslands have warm summers, cold winters, and deep soil.
▶ Temperate woodlands and shrublands are large areas of grasses and wildflowers such as
poppies interspersed with trees or shrubs.
▶ Temperate forests are made up of deciduous and evergreen coniferous trees. Coniferous
trees produce seed-bearing cones and most have waxy needles. Temperate forests have
soils rich in humus, which forms from decaying leaves and makes soil fertile.
▶ Northwestern coniferous forests have mild temperatures with cool, dry summers and
abundant precipitation in fall, winter, and spring.
▶ Boreal forests, or taiga, are dense forests of coniferous evergreens.
▶ Tundra is characterized by permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen subsoil.

Other Land Areas Some areas, such as mountains and polar ice caps, do not fall neatly
into the major biomes.

The Major Biomes

For Questions 1–4, complete each statement by writing the correct word or words.
1. The side of a mountain range that faces the wind often receives more rainfall
than the downwind side of the same range.
2. A(n) biome is a group of terrestrial communities that covers a large area and
is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions and particular types of
plants and animals.
3. Organisms within each biome can be characterized by adaptations that enable them
to live and reproduce successfully in the environment.
4. In a tropical rain forest, the layer formed by the leafy tops of tall trees is called the
canopy and the layer of shorter trees and vines is called the understory .

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5. In the box below, draw and label a diagram showing how a coastal
mountain range can affect a region’s climate.

Students’ drawings should be similar to the figure in the textbook.

Use the graph to answer Questions 6–9.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Average Precipitation (mm)

40 400
Average Temperature (°C)

30
20 300
10
200
0
-10 100
-20
-30 0
J F M AM J J A S OND
Month

6. Complete the climate diagram by adding labels to the bottom and both sides of the graph
to show what the variables are.
7. Describe what a climate diagram summarizes.
A climate diagram summarizes a region’s climate, including temperature and
precipitation.

8. Explain what the line plot on a climate diagram shows.

The line plot shows changes in temperature through the months of a year.

9. Explain what the vertical bars on a climate diagram show.

The vertical bars show the amount of precipitation each month of a year.

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10. Complete the table about some of Earth’s major biomes.

Some Major Biomes

Biome Climate and Soil Plants and Animals

Tropical warm year-round with wet and plants: tall, deciduous trees; succulents
dry forest dry seasons; rich soil
animals: undergo estivation or migration

Tropical rain hot and wet year round; plants; broad leaved evergreen trees,
forest nutrient poor soil vines; animals: many use camouflage
to hide from predators; animals that
live in the canopy have adaptations
for climbing, jumping, and/or flight.

Tundra cold, dark winters and short, plants: ground-hugging plants

soggy summers; permafrost
animals: birds and mammals that can tolerate the
harsh conditions

Temperate warm to hot summers, plants: grasses and herbs; animals:

grassland cold winters; fertile soil predator and herbivore mammals,
camouflage and burrowing are two
common protective adaptations

Desert low precipitation with variable plants: short growth cycles, cacti
temperatures
animals: adaptations to quickly lose body heat and
regulate body temperature

Boreal forest long, cold winters; short, plants: conifers; animals: most
mild summers; moder- have small extremities and extra
ate precipitation; acidic, insulation, some migrate to warmer
nutrient-poor soils areas in winter

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Other Land Areas

11. What is the main cause for variation of abiotic and biotic conditions on a mountain?
elevation

12. Describe the conditions you would most likely find on a mountain in the Rocky
Mountains as you moved from the base to the mountain’s summit.
Most likely there is a grassland at the base of the mountain. As you go higher, you
pass through pine woodland and then a forest of spruce and other conifers. You find
thickets of deciduous trees growing along streambeds in protected valleys. Past the
tree line, soils are thin. Only grasses, wildflowers, and stunted plants grow. Strong
winds blow. A glacier may be found at the summit of the mountain.

13. Which producers can be found in the polar ice regions?

Produces in polar ice regions include some algae, mosses, and lichens.

14. Which animals can be found in the northern polar region?

Animals include polar bears, marine mammals, insects, and mites.

15. How are the plants and animals found in a biome related to the biome’s climate? Give at
least two examples to support your answer.
SAMPLE ANSWER: The plants and animals that live in a certain biome have adaptations
that help them survive the climatic conditions that shape the biome. For example,
animals living in the boreal forest have insulation in the form of blubber or downy
feathers. These adaptations help them survive the cold temperatures during the long
winters of the taiga. Cacti growing in deserts have waxy leaves and specialized tissue
that helps them store large amounts of water. These adaptations help a cactus survive
in a biome with very little precipitation.

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4.5 Aquatic Ecosystems

Lesson Objectives
Discuss the factors that affect aquatic ecosystems.
Identify the major categories of freshwater ecosystems.
Describe the importance of estuaries.
Describe and compare the distinct ocean zones that make up marine ecosystems.

Lesson Summary
Conditions Underwater Aquatic ecosystems are determined mainly by the depth, flow,
temperature, and amount of dissolved nutrients of the water.
▶ The photic zone is the sunlit upper layer of water where photosynthesis can occur.
▶ The aphotic zone is the dark lower layer where photosynthesis cannot occur.
▶ The benthic zone is found on the bottoms of lakes, streams, and oceans. The organisms
that live on the floor of a body of water are called benthos.

Freshwater Ecosystems Freshwater ecosystems include flowing-water ecosystems,

standing-water ecosystems, and freshwater wetlands. Plankton are common. They form the
base of many aquatic food webs.

Estuaries Estuaries are wetlands formed where rivers meet the sea. They contain a mixture
of fresh and salt water. Most of the food produced in estuaries enters food webs as tiny pieces
of organic matter, or detritus.

Marine Ecosystems Marine ecosystems are found in the ocean.

▶ The intertidal zone is the shallowest and closest to land. It is exposed to the rise and fall of
tides each day.
▶ The coastal ocean is the relatively shallow border of water that surrounds the continents.
▶ The open ocean begins at the continental shelf and extends outward. The open ocean can
be divided into the photic zone and the aphotic zone.

Conditions Underwater
1. What are the four main factors that affect aquatic ecosystems?
water depth, temperature, flow, and amount of dissolved nutrients

2. What does the depth of the water determine?

the amount of light that organisms can receive

3. What distinguishes the photic zone from the aphotic zone in an aquatic ecosystem?
Sunlight penetrates the photic zone but not the aphotic zone.

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Freshwater Ecosystems
For Questions 4–10, complete each statement by writing the correct word or words.
4. The three main categories of freshwater ecosystems are rivers and streams ,
lakes and ponds , and freshwater wetlands .

5. Flowing-water ecosystems originate from underground water sources in

mountains or hills.

6. Circulating water in lakes and ponds distributes heat , oxygen ,

and nutrients throughout the system.
7. Plankton is a general term that includes both phytoplankton and
zooplankton .
8. An ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of
the soil is called a(n) wetland .
9. Freshwater wetlands purify water by filtering pollutants.
10. The three types of freshwater wetlands are freshwater bogs , freshwater marshes ,
and freshwater swamps .

Estuaries
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line at the left.
B 11. Estuaries form where
A. a lake evaporates.
B. a river meets the sea.
C. a river becomes dammed.
D. a wetland becomes filled in.
C 12. The salinity of estuary water is
A. equal to the salinity of river water.
B. less than the salinity of river water.
C. less than the salinity of ocean water.
D. greater than the salinity of ocean water.
C 13. Shallow estuaries allow
A. freshwater wetlands to merge with the estuary.
B. large marine mammals to hibernate in the estuary.
C. sunlight to reach the benthos to power photosynthesis.
D. salt to sink to the bottom of the estuary.
B 14. Temperate estuaries characterized by salt-tolerant grasses
above the low-tide line and seagrasses below water are called
A. bogs. C. mangrove swamps.
B. salt marshes. D. freshwater wetlands.

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Marine Ecosystems
15. Complete the diagram by adding labels for each marine zone. Then shade in the aphotic
zone.
intertidal zone coastal ocean
Land
200 m
1,000 m

Students should
shade in everything

benthic zone 4,000 m under the 200 m

mark.
6,000 m

open ocean

10,000 m

16. Complete the table about the type of organisms living in each ocean zone.

Marine Life by Ocean Zone

Zone Life Forms

Coastal kelp forests, coral reefs

Intertidal barnacles, seaweed, starfish

Open ocean large marine mammals such as whales, chemosynthetic bacteria

17. Which type of marine ecosystem do you think supports the least life? Explain your
answer.
The aphotic open ocean zone most likely supports the least life because food webs
there must be based on organisms that fall from the photic zone above or on chemo-
synthetic organisms. This would limit the number of niches that could develop in the
aphotic open ocean zone.

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Chapter Vocabulary Review

Match the term with its definition.
Term
F 1. weather
C 2. greenhouse effect
B 3. niche
E 4. predation
A 5. climate
H 6. herbivory
G 7. humus
D 8. permafrost
Complete each statement by writing the correct word or words.
Definition
A. the average yearly condition of temperature and
precipitation in a region
B. the full range of conditions in which an organism
lives and the way in which the organism uses those
conditions
C. natural situation in which atmospheric gases trap heat
inside Earth’s atmosphere
D. permanently frozen subsoil
E. interaction in which an organism captures and feeds
on another organism
F. day-to-day condition of Earth’s atmosphere at a
particular time and place
G. a material formed from decaying leaves and other
organic matter
H. interaction in which an organism feeds on a primary
producer

9. The three main types of symbiotic relationships in nature are mutualism ,

commensalism , and parasitism .
10. The gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance is called
ecological succession.

11. The first species to live in an area of primary succession are called pioneer species .
12. The area where an organism lives is its habitat .
13. The ability of organisms to survive and reproduce under a range of environmental
circumstances is called tolerance .
14. The taiga contains dense evergreen forests of coniferous trees.
15. The well-lit upper layer of ocean water is known as the photic zone .
16. The tiny, free-floating, weakly swimming algae and animals that occur in both freshwater
and saltwater environments are called plankton .
17. Organisms that live on the ocean floor are referred to as benthos .

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In March 1995, biologists with the

Yellowstone Wolf Project helped to
reintroduce the gray wolf into Yellowstone
National Park. Gray wolves had been
eliminated from the park almost 70 years
THE WOLF EFFECT before that.

Learning

Advantages and Disadvantages of Wolf

Reintroduction
Newspapers, magazines, and media broadcasts contained editorials that argued either for or
against the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone. People who were against reintroduction
might have made arguments such as those in the paragraphs below.

Why We Shouldn’t Allow Wolves

Back in Yellowstone National Park
An Opinion From a Concerned Rancher
Crazy P Ranch has been in my family for
three generations. I have worked alongside my
parents and grandparents and heard many stories
about my great-grandparents raising cattle here.
Ranching is not an easy life. In fact, it’s really
hard. However, it is our livelihood.
Our Wyoming ranch overlooks the Absaroka
Mountain Range, a place abundant with elk
and other game that our family has hunted for
years. Now we feel that our very livelihood will
be endangered by the reintroduction of wolves.
Gray wolves are predators with incredible
hunting skills. They hunt in packs to take down
the weakest prey animals.
How can my 500 head of cattle survive attacks
by these predators? The sick and young cattle are
at their mercy, especially after a long winter. Not
only are my cattle in danger, but so are the elk
that my father, son, and I hunt each fall. We rely
on the meat of the elk for food throughout the
winter. We face an economic loss if our cattle herd
is decimated. This rancher says no to wolves.

Themes Science and Civic Literacy

1. Explain this rancher’s view on the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
The rancher does not want wolves reintroduced because he is afraid the wolves will
kill his cattle and lower his income and because of the potential decrease in elk
populations due to wolf predation.

Continued on next page ▶

Chapter 4 • Workbook A • Copyright © by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
65
 Name Class Date

2. What time of year do you think ranchers are most concerned about their cattle? Why?
SAMPLE ANSWER: I think ranchers are probably most concerned about wolves in late win-
ter or early spring. The wolves might be hungry after a long winter and looking for
food in the spring, when offspring are typically born.

3. What specific evidence does the rancher give to support his argument that the ranch’s 500
head of cattle are in danger?
Wolves are excellent hunters that prey on weak and young cattle. They hunt in
packs, which makes them efficient hunters.

4. In his arguments, the rancher focuses only on his family. In what way is this technique
effective? Could his arguments benefit from additional information? If so, what kinds of
information?
SAMPLE ANSWER: The rancher’s arguments personalize the issue and make the rancher’s
situation seem real to the reader. The rancher’s arguments would be stronger if they
included specific data about cattle losses and economic hardships to ranches where
wolves are present.

5. What did you learn from the chapter in the textbook that would support the opinion that
the reintroduction of wolves in 1995 was a good idea?
SAMPLE ANSWER: Prior to the late 1920s, the Yellowstone ecosystem had a wolf popula-
tion. Biologists were trying to restore the ecosystem and the biodiversity of animals
and plants within the park to how it once was.

6. Do you agree with the rancher’s opinion in this editorial? Why or why not?
SAMPLE ANSWER: I don’t agree because I think that a national park should have as natural
an ecosystem as possible. SAMPLE ANSWER: I agree with his opinion because I think the gov-
ernment should help protect people’s property.

Arguments Pro and Con

The skills used in this activity include information and media literacy, communication
skills, and creativity and intellectual curiosity.
Conduct independent research to find facts that support the reintroduction of the gray
wolf in Yellowstone National Park. You might begin your search by visiting the Web sites
of the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and private conservation groups.
Then search for and read editorials that both support and oppose wolf reintroduction. Write
an editorial from the perspective of someone in favor of the reintroduction of gray wolves to
the park. As an alternative to writing an editorial, conduct a debate with your classmates on
whether or not wolves should have been reintroduced to Yellowstone.
Evaluate students’ editorials or debates based on the number and quality of facts or
data they use to support their argument, the logic and organization of the argument,
and the clarity with which they present their point of view.

Chapter 4 • Workbook A • Copyright © by Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved.
66