Causes and consequences of marine mammal population declines in southwest Alaska: a food-web perspective. Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Populations of sea otters, seals and sea lions have collapsed across much of southwest Alaska over the past several decades. The sea otter decline set off a trophic cascade in which the coastal marine ecosystem underwent a phase shift from kelp forests to deforested sea urchin barrens. This interaction in turn affected the distribution, abundance and productivity of numerous other species. Ecological consequences of the pinniped declines are largely unknown. Increased predation by transient (marine mammal-eating) killer whales probably caused the sea otter declines and may have caused the pinniped declines as well. Springer et al. proposed that killer whales, which purportedly fed extensively on great whales, expanded their diets to include a higher percentage of sea otters and pinnipeds following a sharp reduction in great whale numbers from post World War II industrial whaling. Critics of this hypothesis claim that great whales are not now and probably never were an important nutritional resource for killer whales. We used demographic/energetic analyses to evaluate whether or not a predator-prey system involving killer whales and the smaller marine mammals would be sustainable without some nutritional contribution from the great whales. Our results indicate that while such a system is possible, it could only exist under a narrow range of extreme conditions and is therefore highly unlikely.

publication date

  • June 27, 2009

has subject area

has restriction

  • green

Date in CU Experts

  • October 2, 2013 10:04 AM

Full Author List

  • Estes JA; Doak DF; Springer AM; Williams TM

author count

  • 4

Other Profiles

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1471-2970

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 1647

end page

  • 1658

volume

  • 364

issue

  • 1524