The Importance of Wolves | California Wolf Center

Wolves Are a Keystone Species Wolves are what’s referred to as a “keystone species”, which is any species that other plants and animals within an ecosystem largely depend on. If a keystone species is removed, the ecosystem would drastically change, and in some cases, collapse. What Happens to an Ecosystem Without Wolves? Once the dominant predator disappears from an environment, the next largest hunter will assume the top spot in the food chain. In the case of wolves, there are no large predators that fill their exact niche, and coyotes are the next species in line to take over when wolf populations decrease.While wolves primarily prey on larger animals, due to their smaller size, coyotes specialize in hunting mid-size to smaller prey. As the coyote population explodes, the populations of foxes, badgers and martens, all of which compete with coyotes for rodents and other small game, begin to dwindle. At the same time, the large prey that were once hunted by wolves, such as elk and deer...