Moose and Wolf Relations Challenge LESSON 1 Chapter 22

Name
Date
Class
Chapter 22
LESSON 1
Challenge
Moose and Wolf Relations
Suppose you are a member of a study team working on research for the ecological study
of moose and wolves on Isle Royale. Over a period of 10 years, you have monitored,
tracked, and counted wolves and moose and collected parts of carcasses and fecal pellets for
laboratory analysis. Carcasses provide information about age, cause of death, and health
characteristics of the animals. You have also noted biotic and abiotic data that describe
limiting factors in ecological relationships.
Table 2. Moose and Wolf Populations
Analyze Data
Table 1. Abiotic and Biotic Events, 2002–2005
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Abiotic Events
Biotic Events
Year
Wolves
Moose
1995
16
2,422
1996
22
1,163
1997
24
500
1998
14
699
1999
25
750
• severe winters
• moose marrow-fat levels low
• snow depth above average
• balsam fir sources decreasing
• frozen crust on top of snow
• wolf population increasing
2000
29
850
• springs and autumns
warmer than normal
• large increase in winter
moose ticks
2001
19
900
2002
17
1,100
• current moose population
predominantly old
2003
19
900
2004
29
750
2005
30
540
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each
statement on the lines provided.
1. The greatest decline on record in the moose population occurred in 1996–1997. What
probably caused the decline?
2. When did the moose population begin recovering? What was happening to the wolf
population at that time?
3. When did the moose population begin another decline?
4. Select two abiotic and biotic events from Table 1. Explain how these factors might
have contributed to the continuing decline of the moose population.
Biomes and Ecosystems
21