Here’s another post featuring search terms that human animals used to find my blog. Enjoy!
Why are whales important to the world?
I found an answer by using the search terms above that cites text from the following sources: Katona, S., Whitehead, H. 1988. Are cetaceans ecologically important? Oceanog. mar. biol. ann. rev. 26:553-568
Kanwisher, J. W., Ridgway, S. H. 1983. The physiological ecology of whales and porpoises. Sci. Amer. 248(6):110-121
Here’s the information:
“Although both the public and the media have exhibited interest in the plight of the world’s whales and dolphins and in their past and future decimation by humans, there is little scientific information about their ecological importance in either pelagic or inshore ecosystems. As indicated earlier in this chapter, the importance of many, if not most nektonic organisms in the dynamics of the open ocean is hard to determine. Preliminary investigations, as reviewed by Katona and Whitehead (1988), suggest that, although the productivity of cetaceans is low, their biomass is large enough to be significant on an oceanwide basis. The significance of these animals can be appreciated by noting that Kanwisher and Ridgeway (1983) have suggested that cetaceans probably consume more prey than the entire world’s fisheries. If true, this remark suggests that the energy flow through the cetacean component of the open ocean food webs may be extremely important, particularly in such areas as the Antarctic seas, about which the two researchers estimated that the unexploited baleen whale populations there consumed 190 million metric tons of krill (Euphausia superba) per year, approximately two times the current world fisheries catch. Now that the numbers of these Antarctic whales have been severely reduced (by perhaps 90%) by hunting, evidence pointing up their importance has arisen from the results of this unparalleled overexploitation. Populations of Antarctic birds and pinnipeds tripled following the destruction of the whales. The reason for this population explosion, some say, is availability of krill not consumed by the whales.
Whales also are important because their carcasses sink rapidly and provide a significant food resource for deep-sea benthic creatures. Gray whales disturb large areas of the subarctic Bering and Chukchi seas on a scale equivalent to large geological or meteorological forces. Finally, whales produce a considerable amount of the sound in the world’s oceans, and it is possible that such signals may be used as cues by other species. Clearly, although removing whales from the ocean ecosystem would probably have little effect on the primary productivity or the total biomass of organisms, it would certainly alter some systems, perhaps more than we realize. Certainly, the richness of our human lives would be much diminished.”
All life on Earth is important to our various ecosystems (although I daily question the value of human animals to the planet). To remove a species creates an imbalance that cannot be corrected.
Mike Henley keeper
Mike is thrilled that people can now find him on the innernets. You can read about his work in sexual coral reproduction on the National Zoo’s Invertebrates Web site; watch a video of Mike explaining the elkhorn coral reproduction project; and read about Dr. Mary Hagedorn’s work on her Web site; as well as the Sexual Coral Reproduction (SECORE) site.
Greatest threat to wildlife population
There are many conservationists who believe the greatest threat to wildlife is poaching. Check out one of my past posts about poaching.
TV “phantom load” vampire or plug or VCR
It was the word “vampire” that caught my eye. However, Measuring Your Phantom Load is one of the most viewed posts I’ve written to date. Check it out.
Is palm oil vegan?
This is a good question. My first response was “Of course, it comes from a plant.” But it’s more complicated when you learn that deforestation for oil palm plantations in southeast Asia is destroying the habitat of more species than you can count, including one of our closest cousins, the orangutan. It’s not vegan to take part in the destruction of a species. However, there are companies using safe palm oil and you can learn more about it by checking out my sidebar because I have related links under the heading “palm oil.” You can find all my posts to date about palm oil and wildlife destruction in the Categories list.
Where do gorillas store their food?
Short answer: they don’t store food. Gorillas are herbivores, contrary to what many people believe, they are not blood-thirsty maneaters, but rather peaceful folivorous non-human primates. In the wild, gorillas live in groups that change members from time to time, and they move about their range foraging for various leaves and grasses. Gorillas build a day nest and a night nest on the ground. Like us, they are ground-dwelling primates. The other three primate species – bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans – build nests in the trees.
How do humans depend on coral?
I’m going to quote text from Dr. Mary Hagedorn’s Web site: “Coral reefs are the very essence of life. They are among the most valuable and precious natural resources of our small world, and many people can’t resist feeling an incredible drive to protect them.
While coral covers only 0.2% of the world’s surface, it supports 25% of the world’s marine life, as well as countless human beings. Like rainforests, coral reefs act as the lungs of the planet, purifying the air that we breathe by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Coral reefs are animals, not plants. They also hold the key to innumerous new medicines, vaccines and other solutions to human problems.
Coral are not only the most beautiful of the ocean’s ecosystems, they also contain the greatest number of species, and have more density of life than any other ocean habitat. Coral reefs protect shorelines from waves, as well as providing over $30 billion a year of fishing and tourism revenue to the economies that depend on them.
Healthy coral reefs are the world’s birthright. They are one of our greatest resources, and greatest responsibilities.”
If you want to help Dr. Hagedorn in her work, please visit my Save Coral shop at CafePress. I’m selling T-shirts and other goods and donating all the proceeds to Mary’s work.
Can you see polar bears in Iceland?
According to Defenders of Wildlife, you cannot see polar bears in Iceland. “Polar bears are distributed throughout the arctic region in 19 subpopulations. Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway have polar bear populations.”
Until next time …
s.
Filed under: bears, endangered species, polar bears, veganism
