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| Sea Otters at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. © Chiara DeNeve |
Friday, September 28, 2012
Sea Otter Pic! Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The impact of sea otters on kelp forests and potential incidental influence on climate change
Too much CO2 (carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere traps heat ( Climate Change- How do we know? ). Kelp "eats" (has a high rate of uptake of) atmospheric CO2. Sea urchins eat kelp (releasing CO2). Sea otters eat sea urchins.
See where this is going? ; )
The authors of is article (see: "Do trophic cascades affect the storage and flux of atmospheric carbon? An analysis of sea otters and kelp forests" ) combine sea otter research from the past 40 years, over their North American range, to look at the impacts that sea otters, due to their consumption of sea urchins, have on the health of kelp beds and as a result on the amount of atmospheric CO2, and the C (carbon) cycle.
Their findings?
"Although questions remain concerning the pathways and compartments of kelp C flux and storage, sea otters undoubtedly have a strong influence on these elements of the C cycle. Predator-induced trophic cascades likely influence the rates of C flux and storage in many other species and ecosystems."
In other words, the sea otters eating sea urchins helps to keep the population of sea urchins "in control", keeping them from eating so much kelp, which means that there is more kelp to "eat" more CO2, which means there is less CO2 bouncing around in the atmosphere!
Link to research:
"Do trophic cascades affect the storage and flux of atmospheric carbon? An analysis of sea otters and kelp forests" Christopher C Wilmers, James A Estes, Matthew Edwards, Kristin L Laidre, and Brenda Konar
See where this is going? ; )
The authors of is article (see: "Do trophic cascades affect the storage and flux of atmospheric carbon? An analysis of sea otters and kelp forests" ) combine sea otter research from the past 40 years, over their North American range, to look at the impacts that sea otters, due to their consumption of sea urchins, have on the health of kelp beds and as a result on the amount of atmospheric CO2, and the C (carbon) cycle.
Their findings?
"Although questions remain concerning the pathways and compartments of kelp C flux and storage, sea otters undoubtedly have a strong influence on these elements of the C cycle. Predator-induced trophic cascades likely influence the rates of C flux and storage in many other species and ecosystems."
In other words, the sea otters eating sea urchins helps to keep the population of sea urchins "in control", keeping them from eating so much kelp, which means that there is more kelp to "eat" more CO2, which means there is less CO2 bouncing around in the atmosphere!
Link to research:
"Do trophic cascades affect the storage and flux of atmospheric carbon? An analysis of sea otters and kelp forests" Christopher C Wilmers, James A Estes, Matthew Edwards, Kristin L Laidre, and Brenda Konar
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