Subtopic One: The Wolf is a Keystone Organism

Wolves are essential to the environment in which they live; a healthy wolf population promotes the health of the habitat as a whole.

For instance, the removal of the last of the Yellowstone wolves in 1926 coincides with a reduction in Yellowstone's aspen population, and scientists have theorized the the wolf's extermination had something to do with it. It was found that elk, after the wolves were gone, had become less cautious; they would move into areas that they had once avoided, and the plant life of those areas suffered because of that and the simultaneous explosion of the elk population. It was found that the elk would eat aspen before the plants could establish themselves. When wolves were returned to Yellowstone in the mid 1990s, elk populations went down and they were more wary of their surroundings. As a result, the aspen population has rebounded, which in turn has had beneficial effects upon the rest of the environment--beavers have more access to food and shelter, and the shade of the aspen is good for certain types of fish.

Wolves are also good for the elk herds themselves. Wolf predation keeps the herd from becoming over populated, and as wolves prey primarily upon weak or ill animals, the herd as a whole is healthier. Only the animals best fitted to survive are living long enough to reproduce, so each successive elk generation is healthier than the last.

Carcasses of animals killed by wolves provide food for scavengers (ravens, especially) and other organisms. The raven population, for example, has thus risen; some scientists have wondered, upon seeing more of the birds than ever, how the raven has managed to survive in Yellowstone without the wolf packs.

Thus, the wolf is incredibly important to the health of its habitat. The species enhances biodiversity, keeps elk (and coyotes coincidentally) from becoming overpopulated while also promoting its health, and provides food for scavenging animals.