The Smokey River Valley is home to one of the largest, diverse populations of organisms in Alberta. Organisms from the many kingdoms, including plants, animals, insects, fish and birds, inhabit these lands. They form a community of interaction as they live together in a special environment.

Relationships: Insects such as bees have a mutual dependency with flowering plants. Flowers provide the pollinators with nectar. At the same time, the pollen gets trapped on their feet and wings and is carried to other parts of the flowers. Therefore, pollination can occur producing seeds to develop new plants.

Similarly, this also occurs with parasites. However, with parasites, it is a +/- relationship in which the hosts can be harmed. For example, moose can have ticks (small bugs) that infest their bodies. The moose lose their fur covering and eventually become sick and can die. The ticks then lose their hosts and must find new places to live.

Specialized Structures:  Many animals have structures to help them survive in the river valley. For example, beavers have large tails and fish have sleek fins to allow them to move quickly through the water. As well, coyotes have short powerful legs to move quickly to catch their prey. Finally, wolves have very large feet to allow them to move easily through snow.

Other factors also help animals avoid danger. Rabbits change colors to blend in with their surroundings. In the winter they are white and in the summer they are brown. Many birds, like grouse, also have camouflage feathers or fur to blend in.

Organisms must also prepare themselves for the seasons. They must learn to adapt and move with the weather. Squirrels and chipmunks collect hazelnuts and seeds for the winter months. Ants collect food for use by the entire colony. 

Adaptation

 Organisms must adapt to be better suited to their environment.

Ducks have webbed feet for swimming and a large bill to scoop up and strain water.

Owls have a hooked beak for tearing and strong, clawed feet to seize prey.

Woodpeckers have long, sharp beaks to puncture tree trunks and to catch insects.

Bears: During the winter they hibernate (remain in a deep sleep).

  Geese: Like other birds, they migrate south during the winter to warmer conditions.

Mice eat grain, seeds, little roots and other plants they may find.

The fish in the Smokey River include walleye, northern pike, white fish, goldeye, and small mouthed chub. They eat insects, minnows, tadpoles and frogs, slugs, and if they are big, they may eat smaller fish.

Small birds (sparrow, robin, chickadee, and the wren) eat bugs, seeds and berries during the summer, when they spend their time in the north

Larger birds (eagle, hawk, owls, ravens and crows) will eat smaller animals and rodents. The ravens and crows are also scavenger birds and will eat dead animals, such as deer.

Carnivores: These animals include wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, lynx, bobcats, bears and foxes. They hunt and kill their prey which consist of (as the name suggests) other animals. Some, like the wolf, hunt in packs to take down larger animals.Others will hunt alone.