![]() Marine-derived nutrients, bioturbation, and ecosystem metabolism: reconsidering the role of salmon in streams. ![]() Ecological links between salmon, large carnivore predation, and scavenging birds. Competing tradeoffs between increasing marine mammal predation and fisheries harvest of Chinook salmon. Tangled webs: reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60: 309-320. Influence of streamside vegetation on inputs of terrestrial invertebrates to salmonid food webs. ![]() Throughout their life cycle, salmon fundamentally transform the way ecosystems function, by playing the roles of both predator and prey, plus releasing important nutrients back in the ecosystem after they spawn. These nutrients are transferred to all levels of the food chain, and in some cases, species adjust their survival strategies to capitalize on the additional resources (Holtgrieve and Schindler 2011). When salmon die at the end of their life cycle, their carcasses provide valuable nutrients to streams and rivers, providing a significant increase in organic matter and nutrients which is believed to enhance the productivity of the surrounding ecosystem (Holtgrieve and Schindler 2011). Some predict that certain apex predators like the southern resident killer whale will become extinct. ![]() If populations of Chinook salmon continue to decline, there will be major correlating impacts on the food web. ![]() In the past 35 years, consumption of salmon by killer whales and seals has increased by over 25 million individual salmon, while harvest of the fish has increased despite reduction by fisheries in an attempt to recover endangered killer whales (Chasco et al. For example, the Chinook salmon are the primary prey for the southern resident killer whale. Salmon play a significant role in the survival of certain ocean species during their time in salt water. ![]()
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