2018 Sep 12;5(9):181228. doi: 10.1098/rsos.181228. Read about our approach to external linking. (Phys.org)Can an abundance of sea otters help reverse a principal cause of global warming? The idea of restoring predators to blunt the impacts of warming has been simmering in ecology for decades. It inhabits coastal waters from the Kuril Islands to the Aleutian Islands southward to the coast of California. According to this explanation, by defending macroalgae (like kelp) from herbivores that attacked its living parts, sea otters allowed the macroalgae to relax its chemical defenses, making the pieces that drifted down to waiting herbivores higher quality food. Perhaps win-win strategies for bringing back this keystone species exist. Chapter 5: Ecosystem Effects of Sea Otters - Elakha Alliance Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. Temperature-dependent viscosity had a significant effect on the carrying capacity and growth rates of consumers, as well as the average density of the top predator. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. Few other animals eat as much relative to their weight or play such a pivotal role in maintaining their environment, says Brent Hughes, a marine ecologist studying coastal habitats at Sonoma State University in California. Crabs eat animals that clean the estuary's sea grass of algae, which is caused by farm pollution. Discover world-changing science. They will remain accessible to anyone who wants to watch them in the future. Today, there are about 3,000 southern sea otters, and although their condition has improved since the time of ESA listing, they remain far from the MMPA goal of restored ecological relevance. The most widely studied and well-known pathway is from sea otters to herbivorous macroinvertebrates (primarily urchins) to kelp and other macroalgae (Estes and Palmisano 1974, Duggins 1980, Breen et al. And a 2020 study found that the monetary benefit of sea otters due their restoration of kelp habitat and associated increase in fish stocks, carbon sequestration, and ecotourism value outweighs the losses to shellfish fisheries. Oecologia. Another challenge faced by sea otters is the need to obtain enough calories to fuel their extremely high metabolic rates, which requires that sea otters consume the equivalent of 20-25% of their . Bald Eagles and Sea Otters in The Aleutian Archipelago: Indirect Sea otters can also benefit seagrass. It was 1742. Sea otters were transferred from state management to federal management, and in 1977 the U.S. To communicate the science behind these concepts to a wide and diverse audience, I hosted a virtual Lightning Talk event with my employer, the Seattle Aquarium. Society for Science & the Public 20002023. Bald Eagles depend on nearshore marine communities for most of their prey in this ecosystem, so we predicted that the recent decline in otter populations would have an indirect negative effect on diets and demography of Bald Eagles. In a 2018 study he considered how interactions among pond predators (dragonfly larvae) and their herbivorous prey (the tadpoles of gray tree frogs and green frogs) changed amid rising temperatures. Environ Monit Assess. They are primarily found in kelp forests, which are underwater forest-like systems, home to many species. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted Although sea otters spend most of their time in the ocean, they come to the shore on occasion to escape predators in the water, rest, or warm up. We used hook-and-line surveys and underwater visual transects at shallow depths (2-25 m) across 20 rocky reef sites and a space-for-time substitution representing variation in sea otter occupation time. You will be directed to the following website in 5 seconds: We hope your visit was informative and enjoyable. How can sea otters help mitigate climate change impacts? Indirect effects of sea otter recovery on temperate reef fish 2009 May;152(1-4):357-67. doi: 10.1007/s10661-008-0321-7. Not only can a wider audience be reached, but speakers from throughout the world can participate. Because sea otters (Enhydra lutris) exert a wide array of direct and indirect effects on coastal marine ecosystems throughout their geographic range, we investigated the potential influence of sea otters on the ecology of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA. They found that otters 'undoubtedly' have a strong influence on the cycle of CO2 storage." "Comparing kelp density with otters and kelp density without otters, they found that 'sea otters have a positive indirect effect on kelp biomass by preying on sea urchins, a kelp grazer.' Medical research advances and health news, The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances, The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web. 4. By consuming sea urchins who are not similarly hidden, sea otters change sea urchin behavior. That mission has never been more important than it is today. PDF Direct and Indirect Effects of Sea Otter Recovery on the Central Coast They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. The large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. Invest in quality science journalism by donating today. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest. Sea otters are creatures steeped in superlatives. Among their favorite foods are sea urchins, which are easy to catch and dense in calories. Beyond species-specific considerations, any reintroduction effort must consider ecosystem-level implications. They enter a dormant state, biding their time under new kelp sprouts, and then revving back into action to eat the young seaweed. Our study highlights the power of trophic cascades in nature and the potential for large predators to ameliorate some of the effects of climate change in the near term, Rasher and his co-authors wrote. Their dense coat is one of two primary adaptations to maintain internal body temperature. Rising ocean temperatures and acidification are compounding the damage. Incorporating it would offer a clearer picture of what a warmer future holds in store. We examined the effects of sea otter (Enhydra lutris) reintroduction along the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada on giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) distributions and the trophic niches and growth of two common kelp forest fishes, black (Sebastes melanops) and copper (S. caurinus) rockfishes. Solved A marine biologist wants to test the effect of water - Chegg A. Estes, and C. A. Simenstad. (Trophic cascade refers to the compounding effects of removing an organism from an ecosystem.) When the mustelids bring down the numbers of crabs, grazing organisms that the crabs eat rebound. Oecologia. And so it essentially protects the seagrass.". Large areas that had been alive for centuries or millennia were crumbling and bleached, indicating urchins had recently killed them. During the event, we received 395 chat messages in the YouTube live chat and had 364 concurrent viewers at the peak. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. They found that otters "undoubtedly have a strong influence" on the cycle of CO2 storage. In the absence of sea otters, these areas would have an NPP of 25-70 g C m 2 yr 1 and biomass density of 8-14 g C m 2. Two of these populations disappeared by the end of the decade. How Do Ocean Currents Affect Inland Weather? | Sciencing These include increasing or decreasing prey, changing competitive abilities, shifting feeding rates and altering trophic cascades.
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