The article I discovered was about the wolf population on Isle Royale Island, Ontario. The island is located about 15 miles off the shore of Lake Superior, and during the winter, the lake freezes over allowing for travel over the ice. In the winter of 1997, a virile male wolf took a journey over the ice and found himself on Isle Royale. Once he arrived, the small, isolated group of wolves on the island changed dramatically. The migrated male wolf was bigger and more territorial than the rest of the Isle Royale wolves. Within two years, his presents led to the extinction of one of the four packs on the island and he strengthened his own pack to 10 wolves, the largest seen in 20 years. Researchers also noticed a decline of the moose population, the targeted prey of the wolf population. By 2002, the male wolf, which by then was designated wolf No. 93, and his offspring made up 5 of the 6 breeders. In eight years, wolf No. 93 produced 34 pups, and those pups produced 45 progeny. Researchers took a look at the odd predicament and figured out the reason for all this. They figured out that the original wolf population was suffering from inbreeding. After research, it was discovered that the original wolf population all descended from a single female wolf. The arrival of the male wolf in 1997 preformed a genetic rescue of the wolf population. Although the wolf population didn’t significantly rise, the current group of wolves are bigger and healthier than before, and the population probably would not still exist if wolf No. 93 didn’t come to the island.
This article is important to society because it may explain why certain species are going extinct. It also teaches us the importance of variation within mammals, including humans. Variation is so important to the health and survival of all mammal species.
I thought the article was very interesting. The author did a very good job in explaining the very odd predicament on Isle Royale Island. There was a lot of strong data to back up the theory of wolf No. 93. While much of the article was strong, I felt there were a few things the author could have added in. There was only a limited amount of information given about who was performing the research. I only received two names of scientists and that’s it. But none the less, it was a very good article.
posted for B. Davies
Brad’s article review was well written and both informative and interesting to read. One thing I liked in specific was the thorough explanation of the experiments that took place. The full results of the experiments (including numbers and statistics) were included in this review. The addition of facts like these substantiated the review. Another thing I liked was the background information he provided about the location of the discovery. I had no idea what Isle Royal Island was or where it was located, but Brad included information which gave a good overview of the location. Lastly, I also liked the fact that he explained the population trends in a very concise and simple way. By giving a general explanation of why and how the population changed, he made the article easy to understand and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to make any suggestions, I would recommend including more specific information regarding those who conducted these wolf studies. Adding the name of scientists or institutions which sponsor research makes the review more substantial and more reliable. Also, there were one or two typos, like the use of the word “presents” instead of “presence.” However, other than these two things, the review was very good.
Although the population of wolves doesn’t really directly affect us, it is still a topic of great importance. By analyzing these results and applying them to other studies, scientists can solve problems that have to do with overpopulation as well extinction.
Brad’s review was very interesting to read. He did well in fully explaining the outcome of the male wolf’s migration. The statistics and useful data really helped portray the impact of the wolf. Also liked how he explained the change in the populations and how they are vital to the survival of the wolves on Isle Royale. Another thing that Brad did was that he connected the situation to today’s society. It is important that he acknowledged that the information collected from the wolf could uncover reasons why certain species are becoming extinct. Such information is important to understanding the fluctuation of populations.
ReplyDeleteIn order to improve the review I would have liked to know what caused the male wolf to migrate across the lake. Was there a scarce food supply in his habitat? I also would have liked to know the scientists that conducted the research. Although Brad stated that the article did not provide this information, it would have made the overall review better.
Overall, Brad did a good job and I learned a lot from his review. I learned that you could walk across Lake Superior when it freezes and that a male wolf single handedly saved a wolf population.
I thoroughly enjoyed Brad’s review on the leader of the wolf pack. One aspect of his review that deserves praise is the conciseness of it. While he summarized the article, he hit all of the key facts in order explain the topic in a succinct, organized manner. Additionally, I really enjoyed the fact that Brad included the scientist’s observations and conclusions. This bolstered his review while also providing evidence to back up what he was saying earlier. Lastly, the fact that Brad provided the reader with background information on both Royal Island as well as its wolf pack was crucial to the review. This allowed us to experience the changes that the “lead wolf” made to the pack. Additionally, I did not know where Royal Island was, so it was nice that he informed us of that, to give us a better geographic idea of where this pack was located.
ReplyDeleteWhile I really enjoyed his synopsis, there are a couple of things he could approve on for next time. It would have been nice for him to cite some other studies on wolves in neighboring areas or go into more detail on what it is that made this wolf lead all of the others. Finally, it would have been nice if Brad cited the sources of the wolf studies. While we know what they contained, he neglected to tell us who conducted these studies. Had he done so, it would have made the information more reliable.
Overall, I really enjoyed the topic Brad chose. Sometimes articles on cells and diseases can be rather boring, but I was rather intrigued by this article. It kept my attention the whole time and it was really interesting to see how one wolf can so drastically change its environment!
I thought that Brad did a great job reviewing and summarizing this article. I really like how Brad broke down his review into a summary of the actually article, then a paragraph on what he thought it meant for society, and then a final paragraph on what he thought the article could have elaborated on. He was able to explain why his review may have been lacking, in some areas, due to the actually articles’ lack of information. Another thing that I thought Brad did a great job with was using a quantitative approach. This provided me with an idea about how many wolves were on the Isle Royale Island after wolf No. 93 was able to reproduce. Finally, I enjoyed that he explained the scientist’s conclusion as to why this one wolf was able to kind of take of this population. It wasn’t just that he was bigger, but it was that the old pack was inbreeding, and that is why the previous wolves were sick and unable to compete with wolf No. 93.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Brad’s review was very clear and simple, there were a couple of areas that need some work. Brad mentioned in his second paragraph that the article only included two scientists’ names. Although there were only two scientists, I would have liked to have seen Brad include those in the review. They would make it seem much more official. Also, I thought that I would have been nice if he had given more detail about the environment that the wolves were in. It would have made it easier to understand the situation.
Finally, I found this article and its review very interesting. I thought that having one male wolf resurge the wolf population was really interesting; especially because he had to walk across Lake Superior to do so.
I found Brad's review to be truly fascinating. The first thing that caught my eye about the write up was his use of precise facts and details from the article itself. For me, these numbers help to validate his information and provide a much clearer picture of the study in question. Another contributing factor to the success of Brad's review was the history of the wolves that he provided. Many times I feel that the information is not properly presented and feels out of context, however in this case, I feel that I have a sufficient understanding of both the current situation and that of the past. Finally, I enjoyed the experimental detail that Brad included in his review because it shows the reader how these conclusions are being draw and how science has changed over time.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I might have changed about Brad's review was the order in which he presented the information. If he had talked about things in a chronological order, it might have made his review more cohesive and easier to read and comprehend. The final thing that I would ask Brad to pay attention to next time is how the information presented in the article will effect the future. He stated that it shows that it is important that animals do not become extinct, but it would have been nice if he had provided more specific information about the fate of other animals in the ecosystem, etc.
Lastly, I was drawn to Brad's review because I love animals and it makes me sad to know that species are becoming extinct. I wish that there was some way that we could reverse this issue.
The review written by Brad about wolf pack tendencies was very informative. He explained the article’s important aspects and did not include too much excess information. He provided a complete reference of the results of the experiment, which made the review thorough. I enjoyed learning about the particular area in which the finding occurred. The information about the area made the discovery easier to follow. Also, it was engaging to understand the connection to civilization today. The broader ramifications pertaining to animal extinction were intriguing.
ReplyDeleteTo improve the review, I would suggest including more background information. I would like to know if there are similar cases being discovered. Also, Brad could have cited the scientists involved in the research. This could serve to further substantiate the review.
Ultimately, the review was very engaging. I enjoyed learning about the wolves, although their populations are not directly related to humans. Indirectly, any animal extinction issue can affect us. It was worthwhile to learn about how a wolf can change an entire population.