As of 2015. the NPS found only three wolve left on Island Royale - a

male, female, and a pup. Explain why this w uld not allow the wolves to

live successfully

Inbreeding leaves animals susceptible to genetic disease, and populations to reduced fitness. This family of three would not be able to sustain a population given their a) group dynamics and b) genetic variation

Explanation:

In small populations, the variation in genetic material is likely to be low. The consequence of this is that there is increased homozygosity. That means less members of the population carry two different alleles of a gene for any given trait. This increases the chance of the appearance of recessive traits, which could be disease causing or otherwise reduce fitness.

With only three related individuals left, the chances of generating a new and thriving population with the limited genetic material is almost non existent, especially considering the animals are a male, female and their pup