Unit 3: Energy Flow and Climate Change

How does energy flow?

Naturally flows downstream, however, salmon and other organisms play an important role in bringing energy upstream.

Catagermous

Fish spend most of their lives in freshwater and then go into salt water (ocean.)

Andromous

Fish grow mostly in oceans then migrate.

Salmon Impact 

Serve as a link between terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. 

Marien Derived Nutrients

Come from marine environments, salmon waste, eggs, sperm, adult carcass.

Salmon Decline 

Habitat reduction, dam construction, logging, mining, pollution, overfishing. 

Pyramid of numbers…

Can be inverted.

Pyramid of biomass…

Can be inverted.

Pyramid of Energy 

Can never be inverted. 

Primary Production

Use of solar energy by plants via photosynthesis to yield plant biomass.

Secondary Production

Rate of biomass accumulation by consumers.

Standing Crop vs Secondary Production 

biomass/unit area vs. biomass/unit area/time