Question

The effect of wolf reintroduction has resulted in what is known as a trophic cascade, where changes in 1 trophic level cause effects at all trophic levels farther down the food chain. What trophic level are wolves at and what other trophic levels were affected by wolf reintroduction into the ecosystem?

Answer 1

A trophic cascade is the progression of indirect effects by predators across successively lower trophic levels. Introduction of wolf and other large carnivores affects herbivore prey communities through direct predation, provide a year-round source of food for scavengers, and reduce populations of mesocarnivores such as coyotes. The absence of highly interactive carnivore species such as wolves can thus lead to simplified or degraded ecosystems.

Typically carnivores like a wolf or apex predators lie at level 4 or 5 in a trophic level. In other words, when wild wolves return to an ecosystem, they help restore balance to the ecosystem.