Join us for a webinar on salmon as a foundation species on the coast
This week’s Coastal Insights webinar we will be exploring salmon on the Pacific Coast.
Salmon are an icon of coastal BC and considered a foundation species. A ‘foundation’ species is different from the more familiar term keystone species. A keystone species has an influence on its environment that is disproportionate to its abundance. Like the keystone in a masonry arch, its removal can have a strong effect on the surrounding community. In the Pacific northwest, species like sea stars, sea otters, and wolves are considered keystone species.
A foundation species, on the other hand, is important because of the role it plays due to its sheer biomass in the ecosystem, and the strong influence this has on structuring a community. Foundation species support ecosystem structure, process and organisms from the bottom up. Foundation species can be plants or animals with many species relying on them, but not disproportionately to their abundance, it’s because of their abundance. On the Pacific Northwest coast, the collective group of salmon species (chum, pink, etc), herring, and giant kelp would be examples of foundation species.
Join us on this week’s Coastal Insights as we take a look at the pivotal role salmon play in our world while considering the challenges to the long-term resilience of salmon populations.
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