Potential Implications of Natural Disasters on Wolf Populations

Abstract:

Wolves are important keystone species that help regulate ecosystems. As such, it is necessary to study factors that could potentially impact their population fluctuation. While previous papers have considered wolf population dynamics and focus on finding methods to predict population numbers, few have examined the effect of natural disasters.

I have conducted a case study on the grey wolf population in the midwestern region of the United States utilizing various data sets, including Federal and State government surveys and records. Combining both the annual data on wolf populations and local natural disasters, I present the observed variations and potential correlations. While I have found that wolf populations have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years, there have been sudden and significant decreases in the population within the last ten years. It is important to note that detrimental human behavior, such as overhunting, may be a contributing factor to these drops in population counts. It is imperative to continue monitoring the wolf population closely to ensure proper ecological assessments and subsequently implement protective regulations.