Salmon,

Nitrogen and Forests

Figure 1. Mean amounts of marine-derived nitrogen (in arbitrary units) in plants located immediately above, or immediately below the
waterfalls at Neekas and Clatse rivers, BC (numbers of plants tested are listed for each location). The waterfalls act as a natural barrier to
salmon; salmon are found below, but not above the falls. Figure modified and adapted from Mathewson et al. (2003).
Students names:

QUESTION 1 (5 minutes)

Look at the highlighted data (Deer fern) in the left-hand graph (Neekas River):

a. What does the white bar/histogram represent?

b. What does the grey bar/histogram represent?



c. What do the 5 and the 9 represent?



d. What do you think the lines on the top of the bars probably represent?

QUESTION 2 (5 minutes)
Look again at Figure 1, this time considering all of the data in both graphs:

a. Why do you think the researchers sampled more than one INDIVIDUAL PLANT from each species, at the same location?



b. Why do you think the researchers sampled more than one SPECIES of plant at each river?



c. Why do you think the researchers sampled more than one RIVER?


QUESTION 3 (10 minutes)
Use the data in Figure 1 to fill out the table with the information and interpretations requested.

Same Sources of variation
COMPARISON of (S) or or factors that create
relative marine- different Possible causes of variation/difference in ocean nitrogen ratios (point form is OK!) differences among
derived nitrogen (D)? individuals or
between groups

Among individual deer

ferns at same location
(above OR below falls),
same river

Between mean in deer

ferns above vs. below
falls, same river

QUESTION 4 (5 minutes) In a sentence of 20 or fewer words, summarize what can be concluded from the data presented in the figure about
the effect of salmon on the forest.