Coastal brown bears feed on salmon swimming up freshwater streams to lay their eggs jump out of the water as they move upstream The bear wades into the water and swipes up a fish First it eats the fish’s head its favorite part Then it swallows the rest After catching more than 20 fish the bear bites the head off of one final fish and tosses the carcass toward shore Satisfied the big animal heads back into the trees A crow swoops down and pecks at the salmon remains After the crow has eaten its fill the fish’s remaining nutrients will seep into the soil for plants to use 6
Salmon Food and Fertilizer Salmon play an important role in some forest ecosystems They are the most important food source for coastal brown bears Salmon also are a great source of fertilizer Nearly all salmon die after laying their eggs Plants near the water take up nutrients from the dead fish These nutrients provide building blocks for healthy plants Brown bears and birds also carry thousands of pounds of salmon into the forest This allows plants far from rivers and streams to benefit from the nutrients that come from dead salmon 7 Where in the World Forests cover approximately 30 percent of Earth Trees are the main feature in all forests But there are dozens of types of forests around the world Each falls into one of three categories boreal temperate or tropical Boreal and temperate forests are also known as woodland forests Brown bears live in woodland forests Boreal forests account for approximately 30 percent of Earth’s forests Marshes rivers lakes and wetlands are common in the boreal These forests span across
More than One Name The word boreal comes from the Latin word borealis which means northern wind The boreal region is also sometimes referred to as taiga a Russian word meaning land of little sticks In Canada the term boreal is often used to refer to southern forests while taiga is used to refer to forests farther north 9 near the equator The temperature is more mild in the temperate region than it is in the tropical and boreal zones Temperate forests account for 22 percent of Earth’s forests They are found in eastern North America western and central Europe and eastern Asia among other places All woodland forests play an important role in the health of humans and the planet Forests are home to the majority of Earth’s plant and animal species They provide people with goods such as food timber and medicine Many people rely on forests for fuel and shelter
T h e b o r e a l f o r e s t i s t h e w o r l d s l a r g e s t l a n d b a s e d ecosystem Alaska Canada Scandinavia and Russia They cover 6 4 million square miles 16 6 million sq km Temperate forests are mainly found between boreal forests in the North and tropical regions 8
