Question

Before wolves were removed seventy years ago, the park had diverse plant communities and stable stream banks. After removal, deer overpopulated, ate young trees, and streams became eroded. What does this suggest about wolves' ecological role?
Question 7 options:

Ecosystem changes resulted from climate factors rather than wolf removal

Any large predator could have prevented these widespread changes

Wolves are keystone species with disproportionate ecosystem impacts

Wolves function as typical predators similar to any other carnivore

Answer 1

Wolves are keystone species with disproportionate ecosystem impacts.

Reason: Removing wolves caused a trophic cascade — unchecked deer overbrowsing altered plant communities and stream stability — showing wolves exert strong top-down control beyond what their biomass alone would predict.