Wild Katmai Spotter Worksheet
Katmai National Park, Alaska Biotic Factors
Wild Katmai Spotter
Name:
Date:
👀
Look at each pair. Which living thing (biotic factor) lives at Katmai?
Draw a big circle around the one that lives in Alaska's Katmai National Park!
Circle 1 per box
Pair 1 Mammal
🐻 Brown Bear
🦒 Giraffe
Pair 2 Plant
🌵 Desert Cactus
🌲 Spruce Tree
Pair 3 Fish
🐟 Salmon
🐠 Tropical Fish
Pair 4 Bird
🦜 Jungle Parrot
🦅 Bald Eagle
Pair 5 Mammal
🐺 Gray Wolf
🐪 Desert Camel
Pair 6 Plant
🫐 Wild Berry
🌴 Palm Tree
Junior Ranger Mission Biotic factors are all the living plants and animals in Katmai!
Score:
/6
Katmai Biotic Inventory Worksheet
Ecology Field Investigation Katmai National Park, Alaska
Katmai Biotic Inventory
Investigator
Date
Scientific Mission: A biotic factor is any living or once-living organism within an ecosystem. Research Katmai National Park's diverse subarctic ecosystems (tundra, boreal forest, rivers, and coastal fjords) to identify and classify native organisms.
1 Katmai Biotic Classification Log
Research native Katmai organisms for each taxonomic group
Mammals (Endotherms)
2 Species
Species 1:
Niche:
Diet:
Species 2:
Niche:
Diet:
Fish & Aquatic Life
2 Species
Species 1:
Water:
Diet:
Species 2:
Water:
Diet:
Birds & Avian Life
2 Species
Species 1:
Habitat:
Diet:
Species 2:
Habitat:
Diet:
Plants & Producers (Flora)
2 Species
Species 1:
Type:
Zone:
Species 2:
Type:
Zone:
2 Katmai Ecological Niche Identification
Write one specific Katmai biotic factor for each role
Apex Predator:
Primary Producer:
Primary Consumer (Herbivore):
Keystone Migratory Fish:
Decomposer / Fungi:
Avian Scavenger:
Katmai Field Biologist Log • Use park reference materials or nps.gov/katm
Page 1 of 2
Katmai Biotic Interactions & Ecosystem Dynamics
Deep investigation of biotic dependencies in the Brooks River ecosystem
Part II
3
Keystone Species Case Study: Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)
Critical Biotic Driver
1. Brooks Falls in Katmai is world-famous for its brown bears catching leaping sockeye salmon. Why is this biotic factor (salmon) so essential to the bears' survival before winter hibernation?
2. Biologists found that Katmai's white spruce trees grow three times faster near salmon rivers. Explain how bears feeding on salmon transport marine nutrients from water to forest plants.
4
Katmai Biotic Energy Chain
Trace energy flow from producer to apex predator
Write the name of a real Katmai organism in each step and describe how it acquires its energy:
Producer Captures sunlight
Organism:
Source:
➔
Primary Consumer Herbivore
Organism:
Eats:
➔
Secondary Consumer Carnivore / Omnivore
Organism:
Eats:
➔
Apex Predator Top of food web
Organism:
Eats:
✓
5
Ecosystem Impact Analysis
Critical Thinking Reflection
If an environmental disruption (such as warming waters or overfishing) significantly reduced the sockeye salmon population entering Naknek Lake and Brooks River, describe how at least TWO other biotic factors in Katmai would be impacted:
Impact on Organism 1:
Impact on Organism 2:
Field Scientist Verification All data verified with Katmai National Park scientific records.
Signature:
Page 2 of 2
