Introduction
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals capable of spending their entire lives in water. Being carnivorous in nature, they feed on sea urchins, crabs, fishes, mussels and clams. They are referred to as keystone species due to their profound impact on marine ecology. The interaction between sea otters, sea urchins and kelp forests has been studied as a model for the impact of predator-prey interactions on community ecology. Sea otters are keystone predators, whose presence has a far-reaching influence on the marine food web by affecting the populations of sea urchins, which indirectly affects the populations of kelp forests & other marine organisms. There has been a steep decline in sea otter populations due to water pollution and exploitation for furs. This has affected marine ecology adversely. It is therefore suggested that sea otters should be included in the endangered species list to protect them from further exploitation. This study focuses on the community ecology of sea otters and their impact on marine ecology. The need for their inclusion in the Endangered Species list and the implications of such an intervention are also evaluated.
Community ecology
Sea otters predate on many herbivorous invertebrates, including sea urchins. Sea urchins feed on kelp forests, which are an important habitat for fishes and other marine organisms. A high population of sea urchins has an adverse effect on kelp forests. Since sea otters predate upon sea urchins, their populations ar...
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Isle Royal is located fifty-six miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. It is the largest wilderness area in Michigan (USNPS, 2014). The island is surrounded by Lake Superior, which creates a cooler temperature. This results in arctic plant species growth on the island. There are only eighteen mammal species present on the island because most mammals cannot make the trip across the frozen great lake (USNPS, 2014). The need for an ice bridge is not the only environmental factor that is stopping the migration of animals; there is also the severe cold, and also wind and fog (Vucetich, 2012). Some species such as caribou and coyote have found the island to be too intense and have gone extinct (Vucetich, 2012). Due to the harsh weather and isolation of the island, humans have never regularly lived on the island (Vucetich, 2012). Some of species that are present such as the red squirrel are becoming their own subspecies due to its separation from the mainland (USNPS, 2014). The isolation of Isle Royal is what makes it a great place to conduct research, it has very low human interaction and the species that are on the island will have been and continue to be isolated from the mainland.
P6: ‘The animals behaviour and natural instinct changes in a marine park compared to in its natural habitat’ (para 3).
Within the state of Florida there are dozens of individualized, non-profit organizations making an effort to help the local wildlife. The local land and marine wildlife includes birds, geckos, frogs, snakes, panthers, manatees, sea turtles, fishes, sharks, corals, lizards and many, many more. Florida State is located on the Southeastern tip of the United States providing a unique opportunity for conservation of salt-water animals. While there are animal conservation efforts taking place all over the world, this essay will focus on two animal species that humans are specifically trying to save in Florida State. The two main animal species of focus are manatees and sea turtles.
Markovsky, Alexander. "Massive Cutbacks in Karelia's Nature." Taiga Rescue Network 2011-11-08. N.p., 8 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
River otters are some of the most social mustelids and show a greater geographic variability. River otters have both social and solitary systems that vary in each location. They have a complex social system; the American Society of Mammalogists exploring these systems in southeast Minnesota published a study. This study showed that the river otter populations in the study area had clear evidence of space sharing, which indicated that they were not territorial or solitary. Also, the otters that shared space with one another were attracted to one another and were near other otters. Furthermore, the home-range characteristics, static and dynamic interactions, and fidelity were evaluated. It was confirmed that males have a greater home-range
Out of the three, habitat loss is considered to be the largest threat to the Arctic Fox population. Due to rising temperatures, sea ice is not as abundant and new plant species are beginning to emerge. Sea ice is important to the Arctic Fox population because they rely on the extra space to find food and there are fewer predators (2). Because the sea ice habitat provides important winter food resources for the Arctic foxes, especially in low lemming population years, the loss of the sea-ice habitat is likely to result in lower winter survival and reproductive success for Arctic fox population. Due to the decrease in food resources, Arctic Foxes may start to wander into human settlements in search of food which will increase the chance of foxes being killed by human inhabitants. A decrease in food resources and hunting grounds is not the only issue with the loss of sea ice habitats. According to the Species Survival Commission, as ...
The southern sea otter population is not increasing as quickly as scientist predicted because there are many variables which are affecting their rate of birth. If an oil spill happens to occur it would endanger the sea otters and threaten the kelp forest. According to the website "defenders.org", it states "When sea otters come into contact with oil, it causes their fur to mat, which prevents it from insulating their body" (www.defenders.org/sea-otter/threats). The sea otters would die and not be able to grow more in population. Often, every 3 years or so the population would increase but not by much. The "Monterey Bay Aquarium" data sheet states "In 2007 there were 2,818 total sea otters, in 2010 it decreased by 107 sea otters, in 2013
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
The largest raft ever seen contained over 2000 sea otters.They sleep and take showers together.In conclusion their black fur helps them blend it with the
This year they are listed under the endangered species act and has today 78 killer whales left. The factors that could be contributed to such a rapid change in the size of sea otter population is stop hunting sea otter down and killing them and selling them to fur traders.That is the big thing in the otter decline people from 1800 to 1900 hunted and sold them all time for there fur. killer Whales have a taste for sea otters and the sea lion and seals short in supply in the northern pacific. Killer whales are feeding on otters because of the absents of their prey. The lost of sea otters have effect on organism is Alaska’s sea otters decline the affects health of kelp forests and diet of eagles. Sea otters play a private part by keeping the kelp forest a healthy balance. By eating sea urchins-- the biggest threat to kelps forests--sea otters control sea urchins numbers and kept the ecosystem in balance. This ensured that these underwater plants could thrive and reach their maximum height of 250 ft.The sharp drop in sea otter numbers in this island chain of alaska is the predation level. killer whales need 61.54 kcal/male otters and kcal needed is 308000 kcal
The Monterey Bay Sea Otters There are a number of sea otters who are an important part of this world and they form a fairly large population and that is why it is felt that they should be preserved at all costs. They are an important source of earning for the people and they are also important in the sense that they provide an important source of earning to the people and their is an entire group of people who use this field as their source of earning. Besides the population of these otters keeps fluctuating and it has to be maintained because if the number fluctuate exponentially and if they get out of hand they can damage the ecological and the environmental balance of the world. Similarly the fishing and the killing of these otters can cause the damage to the balance because just like the excess of anything can cause a problem similarly the excess supply can cause a lot of major problem as well. These otters vary in sizes and this is an unchartered territory with a number of parasites who do vary in species and sizes and they all have their purposes and pros and cons and they impact our life and the balance of the world in a different manner. As the size varies so does the importance of the otters and the smaller ones might be innocuous while the larger ones can be the source of food as well and some of the larger species can also act as the predators and they act as a deterrent for the other species because they keep the check over the other species. They may pose a hazard of some type in some of the cases but their habitats and their productive cycles are all the things that need to be considered by us as human beings. Similarly their eating habits and appetites can alter and impact our world and our actions and reactions an...
The cuteness of otters is worldwide accepted. These creatures are fuzzy, social, and incredibly intelligent. Male otters are called boars, females are sows, and the babies are called pups. This essay contains a brief synopsis of the types of otters, the anatomy of an otter, the threats they face, its social nature, motherly instinct, how it eats, and its daily life.
Their habitat is the sea floor where they find meals and the sea surface where they socialize with the other otters.
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