Gray Wolves by Baochau Nguyen

Type of Consumer / Diet

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 00:38:14 UTC

They're secondary consumers, also known as carnivores, and they eat primary consumers. Some animals they feed on are elk, deer, and boar. They're able to consume as much as 22 lbs in one sitting.

Appearance

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 00:45:10 UTC

They are 2-3 ft at the shoulder and 4.5-6.5 ft in length. They weigh from 55 lbs to 130 lbs. Their colors are usually a mix of gray and brown. They relatively have short ears and a bushy, long tail. They have 42 teeth in their mouths.

Other Facts

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 00:52:54 UTC

The average life span is between 6 to 8 years. However, in the wild they can live up to 13 years. Their narrow chests are useful for pushing through snow and their big paws are useful for walking on top of snow. They can sprint as fast as 38 mph. Many live in Alaska, Canada, and Asia.

Baochau Nguyen

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 01:09:37 UTC

Period 1

Tundra Biome

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 17:33:52 UTC

It is the coldest biome. It has frost-molded landscapes, short growing seasons, little precipitation, and poor nutrients. The two main nutrients in a tundra are phosphorus and nitrogen. Some characteristics of a tundra are low biotic diversity, simple vegetation structure, and extremely cold climate. Tundras are located near the North Pole, at the top of the world.

Influence on their Environment

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 17:45:37 UTC

The gray wolves feeding on ungulates, or hoofed animals, creates an abundant and dependable food source for other carnivores. For example, when the gray wolves kill elks, its carcass is partially consumed and is scavenged by other carnivores. In addition, they have helped prevent the spread of disease in deer known as chronic wasting disease. Their presence causes elk herds to move around frequently, which allows aspen and willow trees to grow in places where they were over grazed. This resulted in the return of beavers and birds.

Article Questions

17bnguyen2 — 2015-11-18 17:56:38 UTC

What is a keystone species? It is an organism that plays a unique and important role in a way an ecosystem functions.
In what ways do predator keystone species affect their environments? They can control the distribution & population of large numbers of the prey species. For instance, the deer, rabbit, and bird species are partially controlled by the presence of a mountain lion.
In what ways do herbivores affect their environments? They affect the plant abundance, distribution, & population growth. An example is elephants eating acacia in the savanna. If the acacia tree grows, elephants can knock over and uproot it. This keeps the savanna a grassland.
What is a foundation species? They play a major role in creating/maintaining a habitat that supports other species. Corals are a foundation species since they produce the reef structures on which organisms depend to in order to live.
What are umbrella species? They are large organisms that many other species depend on. They are similar to keystone species, but they move around and need a large habitat. Wild tigers are an umbrella species since saving them would save leopards, boars, hares and other species.
What are indicator species? They’re organisms that are very sensitive to environmental changes in its ecosystem. It is affected by damage to the ecosystem & can give early warning that a habitat is suffering.