Article

 

The Roles of Large Top Predators in Coastal Ecosystems: New Insights from long Term Ecological Research Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/7p88ch10s

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Abstract: During recent human history, human activities such as overhunting and habitat destruction have severely impacted many large top predator populations around the world. Studies from a variety of ecosystems show that loss or diminishment of top predator populations can have serious consequences for population and community dynamics and ecosystem stability. However, there are relatively few studies of the roles of large top predators in coastal ecosystems, so that we do not yet completely understand what could happen to coastal areas if large top predators are extirpated or significantly reduced in number. This lack of knowledge is surprising given that coastal areas around the globe are highly valued and densely populated by humans, and thus coastal large top predator populations frequently come into conflict with coastal human populations. This paper reviews what is known about the ecological roles of large top predators in coastal systems and presents a synthesis of recent work from three coastal eastern US Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites where long-term studies reveal what appear to be common themes relating to the roles of large top predators in coastal systems. We discuss three specific themes: (1) large top predators acting as mobile links between disparate habitats, (2) large top predators potentially affecting nutrient and biogeochemical dynamics through localized behaviors, and (3) individual specialization of large top predator behaviors. We also discuss how research within the LTER network has led to enhanced understanding of the ecological roles of coastal large top predators. Highlighting this work is intended to encourage further investigation of the roles of large top predators across diverse coastal aquatic habitats and to better inform researchers and ecosystem managers about the importance of large top predators for coastal ecosystem health and stability.
  • Keywords: Individual specialization, Morone saxatilis, Migratory striped bass, Sea otters, Bottoom up control, Alligator holes, Trophic cascades, Food webs, Kelp forests, Everglades
  • This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the Oceanography Society and can be found at: http://www.tos.org/oceanography/.
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Rosenblatt, A.E., M.R. Heithaus, M.E. Mather, P. Matich, J.C. Nifong, W.J. Ripple, and B.R. Silliman. 2013. The roles of large top predators in coastal ecosystems: New insights from long term ecological research. Oceanography 26(3):156–167, http://dx.doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2013.59.
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 26
Journal Issue/Number
  • 3
Academic Affiliation
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades LTER program undergrants DBI-0620409 and DEB-1237517, the Plum Island Ecosystems LTER program under grants OCE-0423565, OCE-1058747, and OCE-1238212, and the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER program under grants OCE-0620959 and OCE-1237140. Additional funding was provided by Florida International University (FIU). During manuscript preparation, A.E.R. was supported by an FIU Dissertation Year Fellowship, and M.E.M. received support from the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (Kansas State University, US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism, and the Wildlife Management Institute).
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items