Salmon's Role In Our Ecosystem

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Salmon have an extremely crucial role to play in their ecosystem as they are a keystone species. A keystone species refers to a type of organism which an ecosystem largely depends on. If they became extinct or disappeared, the ecosystem would change drastically. The pilgrimage salmon will attain to reach their place of origin is extremely life-threatening, and scarcely any will arrive at the destination. Salmon are the nourishment many animals feed on, and they are also a vital element in plants.

About four to five years after being born, the salmon will make a treacherous journey back to the precise location where they hatched. The salmon recur to this location due to the vast supply of fresh water, considering that the eggs only survive in fresh water. Interestingly, there are small fragments of iron in the brains of …show more content…

After about two months of traveling through the open sea, the salmon will arrive at the coast. Now the salmon’s journey becomes increasingly riskier, as many hungry animals are waiting for the salmon to arrive. Many species, such as the bald eagle and salmon shark, will feed on the salmon as they pass. Eventually, the salmon will become stuck in extremely shallow water, and they will not be able to penetrate through. The salmon will need to wait it out until it rains, and the water level rises. Unfortunately, they are confronted by an immense problem, considering the salmons' bodies are accustomed to salt water, they will not nourish themselves will in fresh water. Consequently, they must rely on stored energy to get them to their birthplace and spawn. Throughout this journey, the salmon will encounter numerous obstacles along the way, such as shallow water, waterfalls, and hungry animals especially grizzly bears. As the fish's hormones start preparing to reproduce, they begin to alter some

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