Final answer:
It is true that wolves in Yellowstone do not strictly confine themselves within the park's boundaries; they are a keystone species with territories that often extend beyond the park, influencing the ecosystem inside and surrounding Yellowstone.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question about wolves in Yellowstone not confining themselves strictly within the park's boundaries is true. Wolves are a keystone species and have large territories that they use for hunting and denning. These territories often extend beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, especially since natural habitats do not follow man-made boundaries. For this reason, wolves may roam outside the park, potentially impacting surrounding ecosystems and landscapes.
Since their reintroduction in 1995, wolves have had notable effects on the park's ecosystem. For example, their predation on elk led to a change in the elk's grazing behavior, allowing the regrowth of vegetation near streambanks which in turn had positive impacts on various other species like beavers, fish, and the overall health of the habitat.
Rewilding efforts, such as those involving wolves, seek to provide habitat corridors and wildways for species like wolves to move freely, which acknowledges the fact that animals move across diverse landscapes, irrespective of human-imposed borders.