Whales revealed as marine ecosystem engineers

Even after death, whales play a role in boosting ocean health. Their carcasses, resting on the ocean floor, are home to species that rely on this unique habitat to live. Image courtesy of Craig Smith / SOEST.

A paper in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment evaluates decades of research on the ecological role of great whales. The researchers suggest that the influence of these animals have been substantially undervalued because scientists have underestimated the degree to which the decline in whale population has altered marine ecosystems. The paper summarizes a strong body of evidence indicating that whale recovery “could lead to higher rates of productivity in locations where whales aggregate to feed and give birth,” supporting robust fisheries. Oceanography professor Craig Smith, one of the co-authors, is an expert on the ecological importance of “whale falls” —  whale carcasses on the sea floor.

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