Ecological Interactions Between PNW Keystone Species

Food web of orcas Image Description under Featured Image Description Heading
Phenomena: Chinook Salmon and Orcas

The plight of the Southern resident killer whale and the impact of the snake river dams on the Chinook salmon population.

  1. Students will examine the decline in chinook salmon and how the loss of this keystone species is impacting the Southern resident killer whale populations.
Materials List

Handouts

Important Links

Featured Image Description

Illustration of a food web featuring orcas. The image is a cross section of the sea. At the top are two white clouds, the waterline, then the marine life before the sea floor that makes up the bottom the image. From top to bottom and then left to right there are: orca, phytoplankton, plainfin midshipman, zooplankton, sea cucumber, bat star, sea urchin, kelp bass, sea otter, black rockfish, and kelp. White arrows connect the web based on each species diet.

Time: 45-60 mins

This Lesson appears as a part of the following:
Water Power Implementation Toolkit

Students will examine the decline in Chinook salmon and how the loss of this keystone species is impacting the Southern resident killer whale populations. 

 

Future Needs of the PNW Hydropower System

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