Read the story and listen to it. Pay attention to the highlighted words â they are vocabulary words from the Yellowstone lesson. For a challenge, hide the story before you build the sentences.
Anjali, a biology student, traveled to Yellowstone to study its ecosystem. At Grand Prismatic Spring, a ranger named Dariusz explained that tiny microorganisms give the hot spring its bright colors. He said that a thermophile can live in water that is too hot for people. Next, they drove to a valley to look for wolves, an important predator in the park.
Dariusz explained that elk are common prey for wolves. After a hunt, a scavenger like a raven often eats what the wolves leave behind. Anjali learned that the reintroduction of wolves began in 1995. Wolves can change where elk eat, but weather and water also affect the vegetation.
Later, Dariusz showed her a lodgepole pine cone that was sealed with resin. He explained that fire can open these cones and help renew the forest. On the drive back, they saw a bison herd, a population that has persisted here since prehistoric times. At the end of the day, Dariusz explained that rangers restrict some areas to protect the animals.