Elwha Education Video 1: The Mystery of Marine Derived Nutrients in the Elwha River Ecosystem

Duration:

7 minutes, 27 seconds

How do marine derived nutrients get into the forest and the terrestrial ecosystem and what role do they play?

 

Exploring theElwha River Ecosystem Video Series- Freeing the Elwha Curriculum Correlation

The Mystery of Marine Derived Nutrients
Freeing The Elwha Lesson Plans	Next Generation Science Standards Correlation
Lesson 9: Salmon Anadromous LifestylesGuiding Question: Salmonids are a crucial part of the Elwha River ecosystem. How can our understanding of their life cycles help restore the Elwha River ecosystemLesson Overview: Students will be introduced to the wild salmonid species of the Elwha River. After watching a powerpoint presentation on the anadromous life styles of pacific salmonids, students will work in groups to research. Then students will compose a presentation on the lifestyle of a specific species of anadromous fish found in the Elwha River: Chinook, chum, coho, pink, sockeye, steelhead, bull trout, or Dolly Varden. Student groups will then apply their knowledge by constructing a model healthy river habitat in which their species, along with other species of salmon, can grow and thrive.	LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity Comparison of the embryological development of different species also reveals similarities that show relationships not evident in the fully-formed anatomy. (MS-LS4-3) Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect
Lesson 10: Salmonid Natural HistoryGuiding Question: How does biological evolution account for the diversity and distribution of salmonid species?Overview: This lesson focuses on some of the natural history and stochastic events that have influenced the current distributions of salmonid fish in western North America. The relatedness of salmonid species and some of the events of the past, of which the ice age is the most important, can be examined using phylogenetic trees. This information can then be used to determine how the phylogenetic tree branched as it did. Genetic isolation, the founder effect, genetic drift, and stochasticity have all played a role in the diversification of the various species, subspecies, stocks, and runs of salmonids in western North America.	LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity Anatomical similarities and differences between various organisms living today and between them and organisms in the fossil record, enable the reconstruction of evolutionary history and the inference of lines of evolutionary descent. (MS-LS4-2) LS4.C: Adaptation Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions. Traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the new environment become more common; those that do not become less common. Thus, the distribution of traits in a population changes. (MS-LS4-6) Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect
Lesson 11: Habitat Requirements for Pacific SalmonGuiding Question: Salmon are survivors; nevertheless, they have very specific habitat requirements, what are the important habitat needs of the anadromous fish of the Elwha River watershed?Overview: This lesson focuses on the specific habitat requirements for each Pacific salmon species, as well as, other anadromous fish of the Elwha River watershed. The ecological habitat of each salmon species includes their adult range in the ocean and the specific parts of the river, and its tributaries, that are critical spawning habitat.	LS4.C: Adaptation Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions. Traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the new environment become more common; those that do not become less common. Thus, the distribution of traits in a population changes. (MS-LS4-6) Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect, Energy and Matter
Lesson 12: Marine-Derived Nutrient CyclingGuiding question: How do the carcasses of dead adult salmon support young salmon and how are salmon essential to the marine food web as well as t, or Dolly Varden. Student groups will then apply their knowledge by constructing a model healthy river habitat in which their species, along with other species of salmon, can grow and thrive.the freshwater ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest?Overview: Discuss the marine food web related to salmon. Introduce the idea of algal blooms in the cold nutrient-rich waters of the North Pacific. Explain trophic levels, energy movement, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of nutrients and chemicals into top-level predators such as salmon. Introduce the idea of these marine-derived nutrients entering the freshwater ecosystems and becoming the basis of the freshwater ecosystem food web. Freshwater ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest tend to be oligotrohic (containing few nutrients), so these marine-derived nutrients constitute an important influx that greatly increases the productivity of these rivers.	LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms Plants, algae (including phytoplankton), and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or later use. (MS-LS1-6) LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Growth of organisms and population increases are limited by access to resources. (MS-LS2-1) LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. (MS-LS2-3) Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect, Patterns, Energy and Matter, Stability and Change
Lesson 13: Salmon Nutrient CyclingGuiding Question: Salmon nutrients find their way into terrestrial environments, how is it possible that trees show evidence of having derived nutrition from Salmon?Overview: This lesson focuses on how marine-derived nutrients from salmon carcasses find their way into terrestrial environments and how scientists can track these marine-derived nutrients to analyze their importance to ecosystems today, as well as, reconstructing past ecosystem processes. Terrestrial vertebrates such as mammals and birds, as well as, insects consume salmon carcasses and then release those nutrients onto land, either by dragging the carcasses or defecating onto the forest. These nutrients then enter the soil, where they are taken up by plant roots. Once entering plant tissue, they are consumed by herbivores. Salmon nutrients have been found in every living organism investigated and up to seven miles from the stream of origin. Scientists use stable isotope N15 to track marine-derived nutrients, because this isotope is more common in marine environments than freshwater ones. Analyzing sediment layers of lakes for this isotope, scientists can reconstruct ancient salmon abundance and can make inferences to historic climate and ecological processes	LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms Plants, algae (including phytoplankton), and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or later use. (MS-LS1-6) LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. (MS-LS2-3) LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. (MS-LS2-1) Crosscutting Concepts:Energy and Matter, Cause and Effect, Stability and Change
Lesson 14: Impact of Hydroelectric Dams on SalmonGuiding Question: Dams are important to people but they have a serious impact on salmon migration. How do dams affect salmon and what successes have people had in trying to help salmon migration?Overview: This lesson focuses on the impacts that hydroelectric dams have had on anadromous salmon migration and some of the mitigation techniques that have been designed to reduce these impacts. Hydroelectric projects were started during the Great Depression and continued through the 1960's and 1970's for the purpose of channeling water for irrigation in the arid Columbia Basin and to generate cheap electricity. However, the dams created obstructions for migrating salmon. Even those dams built with fish passage, such as fish ladders and navigation canals, have had major impacts on the survivorship of juvenile salmon due to mortality in the turbines and spillways, increased water temperatures, predation, and a myriad of other factors.	LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.(MS-LS2-4) Crosscutting Concepts: Cause and Effect, Stability and Change
Lesson 15: Effects of Elwha Dams on SalmonGuiding Question: The building of the Elwha River Dams had a huge impact on the anadromous fish of the Elwha River, why were the dams built in the first place, how have they affected anadromous fish and the surrounding environment, and why are they coming down?Overview: This lesson focuses on the impacts that the building of the two dams on the Elwha River had on anadromous fish species, including the loss of 70 miles of river habitat for migrating fish, the effects of sediment loss on spawning grounds downstream, and general habitat degradation downstream. Learn about pre-dam conditions both in-river and in the surrounding terrestrial environment. Then hear the story of Thomas Aldwell, the entrepreneur who built the first dam and refused to accommodate fish. Finally, discuss the political and environmental conditions that led to the decision to remove the dams.	LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience Ecosystems are dynamic in nature; their characteristics can vary over time. Disruptions to any physical or biological component of an ecosystem can lead to shifts in all its populations.(MS-LS2-4) LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors. (MS-LS2-1)Crosscutting Concepts: Stability and Change, Cause and Effect, Energy and Matter