This seems pretty elementary. I might also posit that most creatures in an ecosystem help balance that ecosystem. You know, because that's how balance works.
This seems pretty elementary. I might also posit that most creatures in an ecosystem help balance that ecosystem.
I was just posting in the vein of your cheeky, vapid tldr. I actually watched a segment recently in some documentary about these otters in the PNW. I'm glad they're returning, and we can see...
I was just posting in the vein of your cheeky, vapid tldr.
I actually watched a segment recently in some documentary about these otters in the PNW. I'm glad they're returning, and we can see they're having a measurable positive impact on their environment.
I'm not certain about UK (or Australian? It's not a US term) usage but cheeky might have been more appropriate criticism 50 years ago. @rosco gave me some of what I was hoping for from posting the...
I'm not certain about UK (or Australian? It's not a US term) usage but cheeky might have been more appropriate criticism 50 years ago.
@rosco gave me some of what I was hoping for from posting the article.
Yes and no? Those creatures probably were destructive to the ecosystem they first evolved/arrived in, and shaped it as much as it shaped them. We're seeing the result hundreds / thousands of years...
Yes and no? Those creatures probably were destructive to the ecosystem they first evolved/arrived in, and shaped it as much as it shaped them. We're seeing the result hundreds / thousands of years later, after the system has stabilised. The cases that failed, like the anerobic bacteria that gave off oxygen as a byproduct and polluted themselves to death, giving aerobic lifeforms their opportunity to build their own system on their deceased backs - they've had time to die already.
It's all relative. You could also say the simething similar regarding invasive species. Sure, armored catfish are destructive, and the balance that is struck once they are introduced is not...
It's all relative. You could also say the simething similar regarding invasive species. Sure, armored catfish are destructive, and the balance that is struck once they are introduced is not desirable for its inhabitants or us, but it still is some kind of equilibrium.
We're talking about different time scales but it's the same concept.
With respect to sea otters, we can now point to their niche in that particular ecosystem. If there are too few of them, sea urchins dont have enough predation and the ocean flora is diminished. Once they start coming back, they prey on the abundant urchins and the kelp and other flora returns, restoring the balance.
Yeah, but keystone species play an outsized role. It's actually hilarious how this was discovered. Robert Payne, a budding young zoologist, would walk the intertidal of the Pacific and go into...
Yeah, but keystone species play an outsized role.
It's actually hilarious how this was discovered. Robert Payne, a budding young zoologist, would walk the intertidal of the Pacific and go into individual tide pools. He would then literally pick out one species from each one and CHUCK them as far out to sea as possible to remove them from the little micro habitat. He did this over a long period. After a while some of the tide pools, particularly ones where he had removed the seastars (the biggest predator in the intertidal) began to radically change. It's always crazy to me that this is how some of our biggest discoveries are made.
If you're interested check out Serengeti Rules. It talks more about Bob and some of the other scientists that have made similar discoveries about animal interactions like that.
Elkhorn Slough! This was the site of my masters thesis, a very cool ecosystem and one of the few bright spots where ecological conservation has had a really big impact. The otters are awesome but...
Exemplary
Elkhorn Slough! This was the site of my masters thesis, a very cool ecosystem and one of the few bright spots where ecological conservation has had a really big impact. The otters are awesome but I'd like to highlight a very cool part of the crabs lifecycle. The crab larva have no mechanism for movement but need to get out to sea for the secondary part of their journey to full fledged crab. Because Elkhorn is a tidal slough there are really big current differences that recharge the slough with the high and low tides. So these little larva crabs, born in the stable blackish marshes will cling to the bottom of the slough when the tide is coming in, then during the slack tide will let go and get pulled part way out. Then when the tides start to shift again they will hunker back down on the slough's floor, stopping themselves from travelling back up the slough. Rise and repeat until they are out to sea. I think it's amazing how strong instinct is for these little guys to do this year on year.
The other creature I'd like to highlight is the Sunflower Starfish. These guys are the real prolific predator of the Pacific coast but unfortunately a combination of disease and warming water has decimated, and in some cases eradicated, populations across the United States' Pacific shoreline. They have traditionally kept sea urchin in check and their disappearance has caused large increases in kelp barrens and threatened the health of the entire coastal fisheries and ecosystems. They are still pretty common in British Columbia and I'd suggest anyone who get the chance check them out!
Lastly, it's Otter season here in the Monterey Bay! We've been running into large rafts of them on our morning swims and there have been a number of new pups as well! If you're in the area and into otters I suggest making the trip now! They can be seen near the Aquarium and Hopkins station, Lovers Point/Otter Point, and of course Elkhorn Slough. You can even rent kayaks at any of those locations to check them out. Last warning is that as they are a protected critically endangered species you should be at least 50 feet away and on guard at 50 yards.
TLDR predators keep ecosystems in better balance
This seems pretty elementary. I might also posit that most creatures in an ecosystem help balance that ecosystem.
You know, because that's how balance works.
Not everyone has studied biology or zoology or ecology who lives near or cares about an eroding coastline.
I was just posting in the vein of your cheeky, vapid tldr.
I actually watched a segment recently in some documentary about these otters in the PNW. I'm glad they're returning, and we can see they're having a measurable positive impact on their environment.
I'm not certain about UK (or Australian? It's not a US term) usage but cheeky might have been more appropriate criticism 50 years ago.
@rosco gave me some of what I was hoping for from posting the article.
Yes and no? Those creatures probably were destructive to the ecosystem they first evolved/arrived in, and shaped it as much as it shaped them. We're seeing the result hundreds / thousands of years later, after the system has stabilised. The cases that failed, like the anerobic bacteria that gave off oxygen as a byproduct and polluted themselves to death, giving aerobic lifeforms their opportunity to build their own system on their deceased backs - they've had time to die already.
It's all relative. You could also say the simething similar regarding invasive species. Sure, armored catfish are destructive, and the balance that is struck once they are introduced is not desirable for its inhabitants or us, but it still is some kind of equilibrium.
We're talking about different time scales but it's the same concept.
With respect to sea otters, we can now point to their niche in that particular ecosystem. If there are too few of them, sea urchins dont have enough predation and the ocean flora is diminished. Once they start coming back, they prey on the abundant urchins and the kelp and other flora returns, restoring the balance.
Yeah, but keystone species play an outsized role.
It's actually hilarious how this was discovered. Robert Payne, a budding young zoologist, would walk the intertidal of the Pacific and go into individual tide pools. He would then literally pick out one species from each one and CHUCK them as far out to sea as possible to remove them from the little micro habitat. He did this over a long period. After a while some of the tide pools, particularly ones where he had removed the seastars (the biggest predator in the intertidal) began to radically change. It's always crazy to me that this is how some of our biggest discoveries are made.
If you're interested check out Serengeti Rules. It talks more about Bob and some of the other scientists that have made similar discoveries about animal interactions like that.
Elkhorn Slough! This was the site of my masters thesis, a very cool ecosystem and one of the few bright spots where ecological conservation has had a really big impact. The otters are awesome but I'd like to highlight a very cool part of the crabs lifecycle. The crab larva have no mechanism for movement but need to get out to sea for the secondary part of their journey to full fledged crab. Because Elkhorn is a tidal slough there are really big current differences that recharge the slough with the high and low tides. So these little larva crabs, born in the stable blackish marshes will cling to the bottom of the slough when the tide is coming in, then during the slack tide will let go and get pulled part way out. Then when the tides start to shift again they will hunker back down on the slough's floor, stopping themselves from travelling back up the slough. Rise and repeat until they are out to sea. I think it's amazing how strong instinct is for these little guys to do this year on year.
The other creature I'd like to highlight is the Sunflower Starfish. These guys are the real prolific predator of the Pacific coast but unfortunately a combination of disease and warming water has decimated, and in some cases eradicated, populations across the United States' Pacific shoreline. They have traditionally kept sea urchin in check and their disappearance has caused large increases in kelp barrens and threatened the health of the entire coastal fisheries and ecosystems. They are still pretty common in British Columbia and I'd suggest anyone who get the chance check them out!
Lastly, it's Otter season here in the Monterey Bay! We've been running into large rafts of them on our morning swims and there have been a number of new pups as well! If you're in the area and into otters I suggest making the trip now! They can be seen near the Aquarium and Hopkins station, Lovers Point/Otter Point, and of course Elkhorn Slough. You can even rent kayaks at any of those locations to check them out. Last warning is that as they are a protected critically endangered species you should be at least 50 feet away and on guard at 50 yards.