Article Title: The Prolific Afterlife
Author: By Crispin T. S. Little
Key Points:
- Whales provide nutrients to other types of life in the ecosystem when they die
- It is able to nourish the ecosystem for a decade
- It also is able to help other communities with things such as hydro thermal vents
- Species at whale falls have also depended on dead reptiles
- More than 400 species can be supported at whale falls
- Whale skeletons are like stepping stones for one animal to move across communities
- Whale falls have 3 stages:
- Mobile Scavenger Stage
- Enrichment opportunist Stage
- And Sophofilic stage which is the longest
- O2 from seawater oxidizes sulfid which make energy for growth
- 40 ton whales carry 2000-3000 kilograms of lipids
- Sulfophilic stage can last from 50-100 years
- 690000 whales are rotting in the ocean right now
- Osedax (bone devourer) could be a cause for discrepancy.
- Similar communities could have existed even before the first whales
Summary:
Once a whale dies, it's body goes a long way before suddenly disappearing. When whales die, they will eventually fall to the deep side of the ocean and will stay there. Whales don't really have anything good given to them during this time period, though in many ways do they give many positives to the communities in the deep sea. These sites at which the whales fall, are called "whale falls". Whale falls are able to support even more than 400 species with the many nutrients they have to offer. The species will be able to nourish in these sites for over a decade. O2 from seawater which oxidizes sulfid, make energy for the species to grow. The average 40 ton whale also are able to carry 2000- 3000 kilograms of lipids which the species can use. As of now, 690000 whales are rotting to make deep sea communities better.
Once a whale dies, it's body goes a long way before suddenly disappearing. When whales die, they will eventually fall to the deep side of the ocean and will stay there. Whales don't really have anything good given to them during this time period, though in many ways do they give many positives to the communities in the deep sea. These sites at which the whales fall, are called "whale falls". Whale falls are able to support even more than 400 species with the many nutrients they have to offer. The species will be able to nourish in these sites for over a decade. O2 from seawater which oxidizes sulfid, make energy for the species to grow. The average 40 ton whale also are able to carry 2000- 3000 kilograms of lipids which the species can use. As of now, 690000 whales are rotting to make deep sea communities better.
My thoughts of this topic:
I think the discovery of this topic is very interesting. Research in this topic has been able to help us with the history of the whales and the large animals of the sea before them that are able to make a nutritious deep sea floor. This research also shows how the skeletons of these whales can be a stepping stone for many animals . Through these findings I believe we can not only be able to find the history of whales but of the animals flourishing off of them.
I think the discovery of this topic is very interesting. Research in this topic has been able to help us with the history of the whales and the large animals of the sea before them that are able to make a nutritious deep sea floor. This research also shows how the skeletons of these whales can be a stepping stone for many animals . Through these findings I believe we can not only be able to find the history of whales but of the animals flourishing off of them.
So what?Research in this study have shown what has been able to help the organisms of the deep sea flourish.
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Says who?The author: Crispin T. S. Little
and marine researches such as Craig Smith |
What if?Whales were never part of the ecosystems in the deep sea?
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What does this remind me of?This reminds me of the film "Finding Nemo".
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