Lesson 10:Saving the Mexican Wolves

DeerMexicanWolfElkPlantsSunA food chain shows how energy moves from the sun to plants andthen to animals in an ecosystem. This diagram shows the food chainin the Mexican wolves’ ecosystem.As predators, wolves help keep other animal populationsunder control. Without wolves, the deer and elk populationswould grow too large. They would devour the plants in theirhabitat faster than the plants can grow. Other herbivores, suchas rabbits and mice, would suffer as a result. Every part of anecosystem—water, sunlight, vegetation, herbivores, and carnivores—worktogether to keep it in balance.Some people believe that wolves can completely kill off allthe deer or elk in their habitat, but that is not the case. Wolveskeep the population of deer and elk under control withouteliminating them. And because wolf packs tend to select weak,unhealthy animals to hunt, they help the herbivore populationremain strong and healthy. This varies from the way otherpredators such as bears or cougars hunt. These animals ambushboth healthy and unhealthy animals.6