Date: August 10th 2016

Name: Lucia Plunkett

Biology 11 Unit 3 Assignment #2 Deer: Predation or Starvation Worksheet

Introduction:
In 1970 the deer population of an island forest reserve is about 518 square miles in size
which has the carrying capacity of about 2000 animals. Although the island had excellent
vegetation for feeding, the food supply obviously had limits. This the Forest Management
personnel feared that overgrazing might lead to mass starvation. Since the areas was too remote
for hunters, the wildlife service decided to bring in natural predators to control the deer
population. It was hoped that natural predation would keep the deer population from becoming
too large and also increase the deer quality (health) as predators would be able to eliminate the
weaker members of the deer herd. In 1971, ten wolves were flown into the island.
The results of this program are shown in the data table. You will calculate the
Procedure:
1. Graph the deer and wolf populations on a graph provided.
2. You will calculate the change in deer population and fill it in the data table.
3. NOTE: In order to calculate the deer population change you must do the following:
Deer Population +Deer Offspring Number killed by predation- number killed by
starvation= the change in deer population
Ex: 2000 +800-400-100= +300 the deer population is 300 more than the initial 2000
4. Use one color to show deer populations and another color to show wolf population
Data Table:
Year

Wolf
Population

Deer
Population

Deer
Offspring

Deer
Predation Starvation Population
Change

1971

10

2,000

800

400

100

+300

1972

12

2,300

920

480

240

+200

1973

16

2,500

1,000

640

500

-140

1974

22

2,360

944

880

180

-136

1975

28

2,224

996

1,120

26

-130

1976

24

2,094

836

960

-126

1977

21

1,968

788

840

-52

1978

18

1,916

766

720

+46

1979

19

1,952

780

760

+20

1980

19

1,972

790

760

+30

Graph: Deer vs. Wolf

Analysis:
1. What negative impacts can the wolf population have on the island?
If too many wolves were introduced to the island they could have completely wiped out
the deer population. The newly introduced wolves could also have an effect of the deers
existing local predators, if they dont receive enough food they could also start to die of
starvation.
2. Describe what happened to the deer and wolf populations between 1971 and 1980.
When the population of 10 wolves was first introduced to the island in 1971 there were
2000 deer that already lived in the community. After three years of growth the peak
population of deer was 2500. At this point the population of wolves was 16. For the next
4 years the populations of deer decrease dramatically and in an almost constant fashion.
This is due to the peak in wolf population (28 individuals) in 1975. Both populations
continue to decrease until 1978 and then start to rise slowly again over the next two
years.

3. What do you think would have happened to the deer on the island had wolves NOT been
introduced?
If the wolves had not been introduced to the island, then the deer population would
continue to increase rapidly. After a while the deer would run out of resources and much
of the population would die due to starvation. The remaining population would be
considered the most fit for their environment and natural selection would occur.
4. Why is death by predators more natural or right then death by starvation? Do you
agree with this statement? Explain your answer.
Death by predation is a natural part of an ecosystem. Predators rely on their prey to
survive the same way that the prey might rely on plants to survive. From a practical
standpoint, death by predation is better than death by starvation because the energy of the
prey is being transferred to the predator in order for them to survive.
5.

How do predator/prey relationships determine when an ecosystem is in balance?

Predator/prey relationships have a huge impact on the balance of an ecosystem. If there is
no predation the population of the prey will become too large. If there is too much
predation the population of the prey will diminish and become endangered. In both
instances there will be a chain reaction that will affect all the other species in the
community. The predator/prey populations must be in balance in order for the other
relationships in the community to be in balance.

6. Would the deer on the island be better off, worse off, or about the same without the
wolves? Defend your opinion.
Without the wolves the deer on the island would be worse off. As the population would
continue to grow rapidly, it would not take long for the deer to run out of resources. With
limited food the deer would have to compete with members of their own species as well
as different species living in their community. Eventually the deer will start to die of
starvation which is a lot slower and more painful than death by predation.
7.

Is introducing the deer natural predators (wolf) a good decision for the environment?
Why?
Introducing the wolf to the deers environment is a good idea for the end result that the
Forest Management was trying to achieve. Since the wolf is a natural predator of the deer
it was a natural instinct for them to catch their prey, thus helping the Forest Management
achieve their goal while also receiving nutrients from the deer. However, introducing a
non-native species can be very dangerous to the balance of an ecosystem. A non-native
species has the power to misconfigure food webs and even import diseases, which can
lead to the extinction of native species in the environment.

8. What would have been another deer population control method that the Forest
Management could have chosen?
Forest Management could have taken away some of the deers resources to quicken the
effects of starvation, or they could have moved some of the deer population to a different
location. Neither of these methods would have been as effective as introducing wolves to
the island.