Wolverine food security depends on large mammal carrion, small prey, and occasional ungulate kills, all of which are affected by ecosystem-level changes from climate and human activity.
Wolverine food security is directly affected by ecosystem changes that alter prey and carrion availability. Wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone and the northern Rockies has increased large mammal carcass availability that wolverines depend on during lean winter periods. Conversely, reduced snowpack from climate change compromises wolverines' ability to cache food and hunt snow-dependent prey, creating nutritional stress during critical periods. Wolverines that cannot access adequate food during winter may emerge from the season in poor body condition that reduces reproductive success. Individual welfare during periods of food scarcity involves the physiological stress of negative energy balance and the behavioral frustration of scavenging inadequate resources. Ecosystem-level conservation that maintains prey populations and ecological processes that produce carrion supports wolverine food security and welfare.