Ebook: The Community Ecology of Sea Otters
- Tags: Ecology, Zoology
- Series: Ecological Studies 65
- Year: 1988
- Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
The impetus for this volume comes from two sources. The first is scientific: by virtue of a preference for certain large benthic invertebrates as food, sea otters have interesting and significant effects on the structure and dynamics of nearshore communities in the North Pacific. The second is political: be cause of the precarious status of the sea otter population in coastal California, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced, in June 1984, a proposal to establish a new population of sea otters at San Nicolas Island, off southern California. The proposal is based on the premise that risks of catastrophic losses of sea otters, due to large oil spills, are greatly reduced by distributing the population among two geographically separate locations. The federal laws of the U.S. require that USFWS publish an Environmental Impact Statement (ElS) regarding the proposed translocation of sea otters to San Nicolas Island. The EIS is intended to be an assessment of likely bio logical, social, and economic effects of the proposal. In final form, the EIS has an important role in the decision of federal management authority (in this case, the Secretary of the Interior of the U.S.) to accept or reject the proposal.
This book discusses effects of predation by sea otters in nearshore benthic communities of the North Pacific. It includes chapters written by researchers in kelp forest, rocky intertidal, and soft sediment habitats. They review current knowledge and areas of controversy, present new data, and identify needs for additional study. In the concluding chapters areas of consensus as well as barriers to overgeneralization and accurate prediction are noted. This is the first technical book focusing on empirical studies of effects of a marine mammal on marine ecosystems. Researchers, fisheries and environmental conservation organizations will find this book a valuable study.
This book discusses effects of predation by sea otters in nearshore benthic communities of the North Pacific. It includes chapters written by researchers in kelp forest, rocky intertidal, and soft sediment habitats. They review current knowledge and areas of controversy, present new data, and identify needs for additional study. In the concluding chapters areas of consensus as well as barriers to overgeneralization and accurate prediction are noted. This is the first technical book focusing on empirical studies of effects of a marine mammal on marine ecosystems. Researchers, fisheries and environmental conservation organizations will find this book a valuable study.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XVI
Introduction....Pages 1-3
A Review of the History, Distribution and Foraging Ecology of Sea Otters....Pages 4-21
Sea Otter Foraging Habits and Effects on Prey Populations and Communities in Soft-Bottom Environments....Pages 22-47
Effects of Foraging by Sea Otters on Mussel-Dominated Intertidal Communities....Pages 48-91
Kelp Communities and Sea Otters: Keystone Species or Just Another Brick in the Wall?....Pages 92-115
Sea Otters, Sea Urchins, and Kelp Beds: Some Questions of Scale....Pages 116-150
Effects of Sea Otter Foraging on Subtidal Reef Communities off Central California....Pages 151-168
Fish Populations in Kelp Forests Without Sea Otters: Effects of Severe Storm Damage and Destructive Sea Urchin Grazing....Pages 169-191
The Effects of Kelp Forests on Nearshore Environments: Biomass, Detritus, and Altered Flow....Pages 192-201
Sea Otters and Nearshore Benthic Communities: A Theoretical Perspective....Pages 202-209
Concluding Remarks....Pages 210-218
Back Matter....Pages 219-247
This book discusses effects of predation by sea otters in nearshore benthic communities of the North Pacific. It includes chapters written by researchers in kelp forest, rocky intertidal, and soft sediment habitats. They review current knowledge and areas of controversy, present new data, and identify needs for additional study. In the concluding chapters areas of consensus as well as barriers to overgeneralization and accurate prediction are noted. This is the first technical book focusing on empirical studies of effects of a marine mammal on marine ecosystems. Researchers, fisheries and environmental conservation organizations will find this book a valuable study.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XVI
Introduction....Pages 1-3
A Review of the History, Distribution and Foraging Ecology of Sea Otters....Pages 4-21
Sea Otter Foraging Habits and Effects on Prey Populations and Communities in Soft-Bottom Environments....Pages 22-47
Effects of Foraging by Sea Otters on Mussel-Dominated Intertidal Communities....Pages 48-91
Kelp Communities and Sea Otters: Keystone Species or Just Another Brick in the Wall?....Pages 92-115
Sea Otters, Sea Urchins, and Kelp Beds: Some Questions of Scale....Pages 116-150
Effects of Sea Otter Foraging on Subtidal Reef Communities off Central California....Pages 151-168
Fish Populations in Kelp Forests Without Sea Otters: Effects of Severe Storm Damage and Destructive Sea Urchin Grazing....Pages 169-191
The Effects of Kelp Forests on Nearshore Environments: Biomass, Detritus, and Altered Flow....Pages 192-201
Sea Otters and Nearshore Benthic Communities: A Theoretical Perspective....Pages 202-209
Concluding Remarks....Pages 210-218
Back Matter....Pages 219-247
....