Questions about ecosystems ecology reading (Wilmers and Schmitz 2016). Type up your responses and submit on Canvas. 10 pts.

All answers should be in your own words (do not copy language directly from the paper).

1. (2 pts) What do NPP and NEP stand for? Explain the difference between what they measure.

2. (2 pts) In this paper, they used data collected at specific locations (Isle Royale and Yellowstone) to extrapolate the effects of wolves for entire biome regions (boreal forest and grasslands). Name at least two reasons why this method might lead to inaccurate estimates of the large-scale regional effects of wolves on carbon sequestration.

3. (3 pts) In which ecosystem type (boreal forest vs. grassland) did the researchers estimate that the presence of wolves increased carbon sequestration in the ecosystem? What do the authors suggest as a possible explanation for why there were different effects for the two ecosystem types?

4. (3 pts) The last sentence of the paper states, “…our analyses suggest that it would be an important and worthwhile effort to begin more detailed accounting of these large carnivore effects in the analyses of regional carbon budgets” (Wilmers and Schmitz 2016, p. 9). Do you agree with this conclusion? Explain your reasoning and whether you are convinced that it is worthwhile to estimate the impact of predators on carbon cycling.

The post Questions about ecosystems ecology reading (Wilmers and Schmitz 2016). Type up your appeared first on PapersSpot.