Why Do Sea Otters Decline

A change could cause a degraded ecosystem which would be far less productive overall. In paragraphs 8, 9, and 10 Hannibal explains an example of sea otters eating the sea urchins which protects

Sea Otters as well as many other species are in danger because of Climate Change.The sudden change in climate has disturbed the ocean’s temperature which causes an insufficient amount of food for sea otters which causes the otters to be malnourished and starved. Because of the change in climate there has been a decrease in the amount of harp seals (Foley, 2013) which happens to be the killer whales main prey, because of this the killer whales have now turned to sea otters. Other likely threats to sea otters because of climate change are ocean acidification in the north Pacific, pathogen transport, marine invasive species, biotoxins withdrawn in bivalve prey, and the recurrence and intensity of storm events (Doroff and Burdin, 2015) . Sea otters have a noticeably solid influence on the wealth of kelp through the impact they have on sea urchins, said James A. Estes, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz who was a co-author on Schmitz 's 2014 review and on the original sea otter study. Otters eat urchins. Urchins eat kelp. So in ocean patches where otters are bountiful, urchin populations collapse and kelp tends to thrive (Estes,Cruz and Schmitz,2014). The study, led by Wilmers and published in 2012, found that across the otter 's range the animal could be indirectly at fault for getting rid of as much as 8.7 million tons of carbon dioxide, more than twice what an average

In a documentary film directed by Bill Wisenski, “Threatened: The Controversial Struggle of the Southern Sea Otter,” it reveals some of the reasons why the California sea otter population is declining. In addition, it shows the controversy surrounding the “No Otter Zone”. Furthermore, it ensures why the California sea otter population is important to the marine ecosystem. In the film, sea otter populations are endangered because of the significant impact by some human factors. In the 1700’s and 1800’s, fur traders hunted sea otter population to near extinction. Besides this, threatened events such as shipping and drilling oil across the Pacific and along coastal areas; the California sea otters is vulnerable to oil contamination. As a result,

Firstly, the author states that pollution sources such as oil rigs near Alaskan beaches is killing the sea otters. Also, a research held on water samples in the area showed that it contains high levels of chemicals that may indirectly kill the otters. This view is objected by the lecturer. He proposes that Orcas use the animals as source of food, that is why there are no signs of dead otters on shores of Alaska, which would however be

Southern sea otter lives in kelp forests (a type of seaweed) along the Pacific coast, mainly off the coast of California. The marine mammals consume on average one-fourth of its weight daily including sea urchins, which are vital to support the kelp forests. By the result of sea otters preying on sea urchins, the consumption of kelp by sea urchins are kept at a constant rate allowing the forest to grow and thrive. This is highly important for biodiversity in the sea that is provided by the kelp forest, which is a key component of the three principles of sustainability. There are three ways that human can do to help prevent the premature extinction of southern sea otters. First, ethical issue that consists of the species being seen as vital

If Neanderthals did in fact comport themselves in ways once thought to distinguish anatomically modern humans and enable the latter’s rise to world domination, that similarity makes the Neanderthals’ decline and eventual extinction all the more mystifying. One theory is that H. sapiens had a broader variety of tools that may have enhanced their ability to forage. When they brought their superior technology with them out of Africa and into Eurasia, they were thus better able to exploit the environment more effectively than the resident Neanderthals could. Still, the arrival of H. sapiens did not equal an instant demise for Neanderthals. The latest attempt to track their decline, carried out by Thomas Higham of Oxford and his colleagues, applied

In this article “saving the sea otters is just part of her normal day at work” by Kitson Jazynka My Opinion was that I think a lot of the sea mammals are dying because the bacteria in the water. First of all,”Otters in Alaska have been dying at a higher than normal rate over the past 10 years.”This quote

The lecture and the reading both discuss the decline of Sea Otters. While the reading states that the pollution is the

The sea animal I chose was a southern sea otter. Sea otters inhabited the North Pacific Rim of the Pacific Ocean, from Hokkaido, Japan, through the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula, Commander and Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and south along the west coast of North America down to Baja California, Mexico. Scientist have evidence found in fossil records, that sea otters and their relatives have been a major part of the California’s ecosystem for the past five million years but by 1830 sea otters became very rare in California. Scientific evidence to suggest Otters have been on Earth for the past 23 million years. It is speculated that the Otter as it is today could have evolved monumentally about 7 million years ago.

First of all, the passage states that there is some know pollution sources in Alaska region such as oil rigs and chemical pollutant. The water sample collected by the scientist shows the high level of chemicals that decrease the sea otters’ resistance system and kill them. However, the passage disagree by saying that there is no otters’ carcass in the shore. This serves as the evidence to show that only predator can eat the sea otters.

Sea Otter's are members of the weasel family can be found along the coast of North America. A sea otter spends most of its time in the water and the rest of time it comes to land to sleep. Sea Otter floats on its back to the land and sleeps like that also. They have webbed feet. Their fur keeps them warm and it doesn't shed. Sea Otter's is one of the smallest marine mammal. They have a large amount of different adaptations. These different adaptations help them survive in their marine environment. Their long whiskers help the, detect vibrations in water and sensitive forepaws. Their claws helps them groom themselves and capture their prey underwater. The male is bigger than the female. Sea Otters have a high metabolism they eat 25% of their weight in food each day . They are also known for eating a clam and a rock that has been gently caught from the ocean floor. The otters place the rock on their chest and constantly smash the shellfish against it until it breaks. Once its broken they eat it . They also like to eat crabs , squid , octopus, and fish.

Furthermore, the reading passage holds the view that brown bears have affected the decline of yellow cedar. On the contrary, the speaker underlines the fact that the decline of the yellow cedar has happened both

“Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have increased by approximately 40% since the start of the Industrial Revolution” (Wilmers et al. 2012). This increase in atmospheric CO₂ is a leading cause and contributor to Earth’s climate change with effects such as: “measurable global heat retention and elevated atmospheric temperatures, partial melting of the polar ice caps, ocean acidification, and a host of other impacts on Earth’s environments” (Wilmers et al. 2012). Earth’s ecosystems are combating this climate change by helping reduce the concentration of CO₂ and “sequestering C” (Carbon) in the atmosphere through “photosynthesis” (Wilmers et al. 2012). “Kelp forests are among

First, the article states that pollution of ocean by industrial chemicals, oil rings caused to decrease otters' population. Otters cannot survive polluted ocean since their resistance ability cannot afford it. So, they died because of pollution. In contrast, the professor believes that pollution should kill other spicies in the ocean. However, population of other spicies is stable. Furthermore, there is no evidence that ocean is polluted. If ocean had been polluted, there would be huge effect on

The presence or absence of sea otters influences marine ecology at the community-level. Studies have shown that kelp forests enhance the underwater environment, providing a suitable habitat for fishes. The declining kelp beds in California in the mid 1900’s propelled the Kelp Habitat Improvement Project, whereby attempts were made to eliminate sea urchins that are primary predators of kelps. Studies showed that the elimination of sea otters during the 1800s from the Californian waters might be responsible for the dwindling numbers of kelp forests. Further studies have also shown that the population density of sea otters affects seaweed biodiversity as well. In a study conducted in Alaska on three different bays, the Torch Bay, Deer Harbor and the Surge Bay, it was found that the presence of sea otters led to a decrease in the population of sea urchins, which led to an increase in the population of seaweeds. In addition, it was also found that annual kelps predominated the areas where sea otters were present, and perennial kelps predominated in areas that had lesser sea otter populations (qtd. in “Interaction with kelps & sea otters”).