The Only Good Wolf is a Dead One
Name:_______________________ Class:______________ Date:_______________
In the late 1800’s, settlers to the Yellowstone River area
in Wyoming and Montana saw a great biodiversity in river
valleys. We have visual records of this ecosystem in
photographs taken during this time. The rivers had clear
water and abundant trout with thick willow-lined sand banks
with numerous songbirds eating insects in the willow thickets.
Bald eagles were commonly seen feeding on the trout. Beavers
were abundant as they built their dams from healthy stands
of aspens. Coyotes fed on rabbits and small deer and foxes on
field mice. Elk were present and would feed on willow and
aspen shoots, but they were constantly moving in and out of
the adjacent forest to avoid the gray wolf packs.
The settlers feared the wolves, so they shot them when they could.
In the 1920’s, the gray wolf was hunted to extinction in the
Yellowstone Northern Range and by the 1930’s wolves were gone from
most of the lower 48 states. The river valley ecosystem gradually
changed from 1920 to 1990.
This is what your group needs to do:
A. If you had visited this area in the 1990’s (prior to 1995 when wolves were reintroduced),
how would it have been different biologically in comparison to the 1800’s (when wolves
were still there).
 What flora (plants) and fauna (animals) existed there in the early 1800s?
 What flora (plants) and fauna (animals) existed there in the 1950s?
 What flora (plants) and fauna (animals) existed there in 2000?
B. Explain how the reintroduction of wolves help returned this area to its original state
(biologically speaking).
C. Come up with a hypothesis that addresses in general what will happen within an
ecosystem if any one particular organism is removed. (If…then…)
D. Develop a substantiated opinion about this issue. Be prepared to present your opinion
to the class about the wolves in Yellowstone from the perspective of your group’s
profession. Be sure that your opinion is based on the perspective of that profession (for
example the Rancher association). Remember you must have a thorough understanding
of the ecology, sociology and economy of this area to formulate a substantiated opinion.
E. As you study the problem, be sure to incorporate your knowledge of these terms:
abiotic, biotic, flora, fauna, ecosystems, limiting factors, ecological niches, adaptation,
competition, predation, symbiosis, food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. (ext.
trophic cascade)
F. Advanced Content: Explain two ways in which biotic factors can affect abiotic factors.
G. Advanced Content: See if you can find another example of this phenomenon in some
other ecosystem.
Your perspective will be from one of these groups (circle your role):
Ranchers association
Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
Tourism
National Park Service
Native Americans
Project Wolf (wolf activists)
Use the knowledge you have developed in your analysis of this problem and be as informative
as you can be. Your team will present your hypothesis and solution to your firm (the rest of the
class) in the form of a Power Point. Your time slot is 4 – 6 minutes in length. Your teacher will
tell you the due date and any other important information. Good luck!
Due Date:_________________________________