Reference no: EM133198291 , Length: Word count: 2 Pages
Assignment Task: Read the following book and view YouTube video and respond to the following questions.
Historica The Textbook (Environmental Science:Toward A Sustainable Future,13 thedition, Richard T.Wright and Dorothy F.Boorse)
YouTube video: How Wolves Change Rivers
In chapter of the textbook, you learned about community interactions in ecosystems and the importance of predators in the top-down regulation of species. Watch the videos at the links above about the importance of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In a well-written essay of a minimum of 500 words, answer the following questions:
Question 1: Why were predators allowed to be hunted in the federally protected national parks, and what were the effects of the over-hunting of wolves in Yellowstone?
Question 2: What happened to the ecosystem when wolves were returned to Yellowstone? How did this affect plant-herbivore dynamics in Yellowstone?
Question 3: Imagine that your Congressional representative is supporting a bill to allow for the hunting of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Based on your knowledge about predator-prey dynamics, what would you say to convince her that it would be extremely damaging to the Yellowstone ecosystem?