Salmon reproduction cycle Flashcards
How long do Salmons spend in the open ocean?
1-5
Where do salmon return to aftrer spending 1-5 years in the ocean?
the freshwater stream they were born in to spawn
How do adult salmon change ones they enter freshwater?
They change color, stop eating, males develop a kype
What is a kype?
A hooked jaw
What obsticals do adult salmon face during their return migration?
Dams, waterfalls, culverts, low water, pollution, sediment, and predators
What are spawning beds created for?
To deposit fertilized eggs in the gravel
What are spawning beds also known as?
Redds
When do salmon species spawn?
In the fall or winter, regardless of when they enter the river
Where are redds typically constructed?
in clean gravel with good flow of clean water, otherwise the eggs would suffocate and die.
What sized rocks are salmon eggs deposited and covered with?
2-4 inches
How long to salmon eggs stay in the gravel for before hatching?
2-3 months
What happens during the 2-3 months before salmon eggs hatch?
they develop into embryos, and the baby salmon’s eyes can be clearly seen
How man eggs do female salmon deposit?
between 2500-7000 eggs
What are young salmon known as?
alevin
What happens after young salmon hatch from the egg?
they remain in the gravel and feed off the yolk sac still attached to their bodies.
How long do Alevins remain in the gravel?
1-2 months
What happens after 1-2 months of the alevins being in the gravel?
they swim up from the gravel to live and hunt in the stream.
What are young free swimming salmon known as?
A fry
How long are fry?
1-2 inches
How are fry washed down a stream?
In large numbers
What do fry feed on?
invertebrates
What is a parr?
A young salmon typically between 2-5 inches that are not yet smolts
Why are young salmon called parr?
Due to the vertical bars (parr marks) along their bodies
When do the parr marks disappear?
As the salmon matures into a smolt
How are different species of salmon distinguished?
by the patter of parr marks
When do salmon become smolts?
When salmon prepare to migrate from freshwater to the ocean
What happens when smolts lose their parr marks?
Their body becomes silvery in color
Why do smolts become a silvery color?
to change camouflage from a stream to the open ocean
Where do slamon smolts spend time before heading to the ocean?
in estuaries
Where do salmon spend more than 80% of their lives?
in the ocean
How long do salmon spend in the ocean?
1-5 years in the ocean, depending on species and environmental conditions
What happens after salmons finish spawning?
They die
How will a salmon’s death bring life?
The carcasses feed many organisms including insects some of which in turn provide food for the young salmon
What do the carcasses of a dead salmon bring?
nutrients from the ocean that benefit the stream and riverbank vegetation
