Wolves and the Energy Pyramid
Even a single species can be very important to the flow of energy in an environment. Gray wolves, shown in Figure 5, are consumers that control the popu lations of many other animals. Gray wolves may eat anything from a lizard to an elk. Because gray wolves are predators that are not usually preyed upon, wolves belong at the top of the energy pyramid. Wolves and the Energy Pyramid Even a single species can be very important to the flow of energy in an environment. Gray wolves, shown in Figure 5, are consumers that control the popu lations of many other animals. Gray wolves may eat anything from a lizard to an elk. Because gray wolves are predators that are not usually preyed upon, wolves belong at the top of the energy pyramid. Gray wolves were brought back to Yellowstone National Park in 1995. The reintroduced wolves soon began to breed. As they become reestablished in the park, wolves kill the old, injured, and diseased elk. This process is reducing the number of elk. The smaller elk population is letting more plants grow. So, the numbers of herbivores, such as snowshoe hares, and the carnivores that eat the hares, such as foxes, are increasing. All organisms in a food web are important for the health and balance of other organisms in the food web. However, the reintroduction of wolves is also a source of controversy. Ranchers that live near the park are worried about their livestock because wolves will eat cows and sheep if given the chance. |