Part II: The Ecology

Hello again!

Hello, science enthusiasts! Hello, animal lovers! Hello, conservationists! Here's your third stream of bubbles containing interesting information from this little corner of the California coastline. I'm Shelby, and I'm here to offer some insight on the health and function of some of the most important features of Northern California's coastal ecosystems.

In the last post I outlined the series of unfortunate events that led to the Sonoma and Mendocino County kelp forests turning into urchin barrens. It's easy to call this timeline just a cluster of bad luck, and I suppose it could be, but climate change is definitely the main culprit. Now you know how everything happened, you might be asking why it happened. Why did the ecosystem change so radically? I briefly explained this in the previous post, but I'd like to take the time to explain the actual ecology behind it. It's important to know how systems work in order to best assess how to help set them back into alignment.

The first and probably most important point to touch on here is what happens when a keystone species is removed from a food web.

Side note, I use the term “food web” instead of “food chain” mostly because it's more accurate. “Food web” is a more broad term referring to the total interplay of energy exchange between organisms living in a community together. “Food chain” only refers to specific interactions in one area of a food web. Even though it may seem like I'm only focusing on a narrow section of the kelp forest food web, the effects of the changes ours have undergone are being felt throughout the whole web. If I give attention to every part of the kelp forest food web being affected, we'd be here all day.

Here's an example of a marine food web. Lots of interconnected interactions; it's more complicated than a food chain. Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Food-web-of-shallow-water-and-deep-water-ecosystems-of-the-western-rock-lobster-showing_fig4_255590014 

So, what is a keystone species? I'm sure a lot of you have heard this term, either in passing or at some point in your education. But there's no harm in a little reminder, right? It certainly could be considered one of the more widely known terms in ecology. 

I didn't even think of sharks as a keystone species, but there you go. Kind of obvious when you think about it. Source: http://ib.bioninja.com.au/options/option-c-ecology-and-conser/c1-species-and-communities/keystone-species.html 

A keystone species is a species that, through both their presence or absence, has a disproportional effect on their community. Indeed, they usually influence the entire structure of the food web. This animal can be a predator, an herbivore, or even a mutalist; the interactions revolve around what the animal eats. Without the presence of the keystone species, their food source has a tendency to grow out of control and out compete the rest of the species in the community. With the keystone species presence, their food source is kept in line and more species are allowed to flourish. This allows for biodiversity, something scientists agree is pretty much essential for an ecosystem to function healthily.

You're probably familiar with this one; the Yellowstone food web when wolves are present vs. when they're absent. It's a pretty big difference. Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/trophic-cascade

The second point to talk about here is the concept of a trophic cascade. This is directly related related to keystone species, as trophic cascades happen as a direct result of a keystone species being removed from its food web. An animal's position in its food web is known as its “trophic level”.Trophic cascade refers to a series of sequential, reciprocal changes that ultimately alter the structure of the ecosystem. If a predator is removed, prey increases, then plant decreases, others that feed on that plant decrease (in the simplest of terms). This can happen if an herbivore is removed too; whatever plant it feeds on will out compete whatever other plants are in the community, which removes a food source from other herbivores. The keystone herbivore's predator might decrease, or it could move on to a different herbivore, which will decrease and lead to another plant increasing. Rinse and repeat. If it's a mutualist that is removed, a situation that isn't given nearly enough attention, it can be dramatic too. It's what happens if bees are removed; lots of plants go without pollination and die off.

Here's another example of a trophic cascade, with direct reference to how it's something we have a tendency to cause. Source: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Top-down-control-or-trophic-cascade-in-the-food-chain-for-four-trophic-levels-in-a_fig4_305420537 

The last term I'd like to talk about is the alternative stable state theory. It states that the conditions of ecosystems, or states, can shift between different sets of structural characteristics. These states are separated by "ecological thresholds".These are the points at which either a small or large change can kick off a series of rapid changes in an ecosystem The shifts between these states are not gradual but abrupt, and once a shift happens, it is very, very hard to shift back thanks to the stability of the alternate state (https://www.biology.lu.se/research/research-groups/aquatic-ecology/research-projects/alternative-stable-states). Examples of this theory in action includes: a kelp forest changing into an urchin barren, and a coral reef turning into an algae reef.

This is what is happening right now, but I couldn't find a picture with a reverse order. Just read it right to left for the correct effect. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/santamonicabaykeeper/7416849358 

If you take these three ideas into consideration, you can put together a pretty cohesive picture of how Sonoma and Mendocino County's kelp forests turned into urchin barrens, and why it's become such an arduous task to try and get things back to normal. Remember that “perfect storm” of events I outlined in the last post (Catton, Rogers-Bennett, 2016)? 2013 brought us the beginnings of a condition called sea star wasting disease. This is a usually fatal syndrome, starting first with lesions then transitioning to fully dissolving the flesh. Despite the rigorous research being conducted on the disease, its cause is still unknown.

This poor sunflower star is still in a fairly early stage of the disease, but I think you can see its arms are starting to fall off on the right. Source: https://phys.org/news/2016-10-survey-impact-sea-star-disease.html

Wasting disease is still working in full force and is responsible for the massive population loss of our sunflower sea stars. The sunflower star acts as the primary keystone predator for Sonoma and Mendocino kelp forests, so its loss has caused a top-down trophic cascade; the decrease in sunflower stars has lead to an increase in purple sea urchins, which has lead to a decrease in kelp coverage, which has lead to a decrease in the number and health of red abalone and other herbivores in the food web. The urchins decimating the kelp has caused the kelp forest ecosystem to shift to its alternative stable state, the urchin barren.

See? This is too big a job for just a few sea stars, especially when those stars are sick. Source: https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2016/sea-star-death-triggers-ecological-domino-effect.html

The reason it has been so difficult for the urchin barrens to change back to kelp forests (as the alternative stable state theory says it would) is because without their primary predator present, the purple urchins are free to graze on any algae as it attempts to grow. This is especially damaging to bull kelp, which used to grow in massive abundance. Bull kelp is a perennial algae, meaning it has to complete its life cycle in one year. If it doesn't get past the immature stage, that means the loss of a generation. The urchins normally feed on adult kelp, attacking the stipe (base) and chewing through it until it breaks away from the hold fast. Without adult kelp to eat, the urchins have to forage for something else and end up eating immature kelp before it has a chance to reach maturity. No kelp can grow if it isn't given a chance.

The kelp are basically under siege at this point, and they're losing the battle. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/

Understanding these ideas is an important tool when evaluating the state of a biological system. The better versed we are in the background principles, the better we are in formulating a plan. I've explained the ecology behind these phenomena, now the next step is to explain the physiological aspects of the animals affected by them. But that will be for next time. I'll warn you now; it might get heavy. Learning how these animals are suffering as a result of these changes was a big wake up call for me.

This is from a site about poaching, but it's also an accurate image of what things look like down there right now. Source: https://www.kzyx.org/post/chasing-abalone-poachers-north-coast#stream/0

Stay curious.

"Sea" you next week!

Part I: So, What's the Problem?

Hello again!

Hello, science enthusiasts! Hello, animal lovers! Hello, conservationists! Here's your second stream of bubbles containing interesting information from this little corner of the California coastline. I'm Shelby, and I'm here to offer some insight on the health and function of some of the most important features of Northern California's coastal ecosystems.

I left the last post talking fairly vaguely about the kind of damage I learned has been done to Sonoma and Mendocino county's kelp forests. I had heard some stuff about California Fish and Wildlife considering closing the red abalone fishing in 2016, but I didn't know why it was going to happen. I knew people were mad about it, but I couldn't form an opinion or view on the issue without more information. I had other stuff on my mind anyway; I was going in to my last year as an undergrad, I was going onto dialysis before my second kidney transplant...I had a lot to deal with. After graduating college and received my second transplant, I finally had the time and mind to start focusing on the big picture. I had time to set up a volunteer position to prepare me for grad school and a career as a scientist. But after entering that field, seriously, for the first time, I wish I had known more beforehand. I wish I had been informed.

A timeline of events that, compounded together, created an environment unsuitable for kelp forests. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/

The reason Fish and Wildlife were threatening to—and eventually did—close the abalone fishery, is because something scientists referred to as a “perfect storm” of environmental events had wreaked havoc on Sonoma and Mendocino county's kelp forest communities, unbalancing the food web to extremes (Catton, Rogers-Bennett, 2016). The events can be outlined as follows:

Here's an infrared map of HABs in California. Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-09-scientists-genetic-basis-algal-blooms.html

2011: Harmful Algal Bloom. Harmful algal blooms happen when the water is too stagnate and warm to properly circulate nutrients, trapping them in areas and encouraging the growth of poisonous phytoplankton (microscopic algae). The H.A.B in Sonoma county killed off large populations of marine invertebrates.

A sunflower sea star showing symptoms of wasting disease. Source: https://phys.org/news/2016-10-survey-impact-sea-star-disease.html

2013: Seastar Wasting Disease. Wasting disease is an illness that has been effecting sea stars and sunflower stars along the west coast of North America since 2013. It's a syndrome characterized by lesions and degradation of the tissues until the body and limbs melt apart; fragment. It can cause death within days. Large swaths of the North American sea star and sunflower sea star populations have died off because of this disease. As of now, the populations have not recovered in any substantial number, and the nature of the pathogen (microbe) causing the disease is still unknown. It is most likely aggravated by warm water.

Without sunflower stars to keep their numbers down, purple sea urchins have essentially taken over in areas where kelp normally grows. Source: https://noyocenter.org/help-the-kelp/

2014-Present: Purple Urchin Boom. Without the presence of their primary predator, purple sea urchins have been reproducing unimpeded since 2014, reaching 60 times their normal density (Catton, Rogers-Bennett, 2016). They're responsible for essentially mowing down Northern California's kelp forests.

Here's an infrared map of the development of the Blob from 2014 to 2016. Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/theblob.htm 

2014-Present: Warm Water “Blob”: Northern California started to see unprecedented warming in 2014, starting with the formation of what was known as the “Blob”; a mass of stagnate, unusually warm water that refused to circulate with the usual currents.

That is a lot of hot water. Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/imageo/2015/10/14/godzilla-the-blob-son-of-blob-el-nino-reality-check/#.XEQPGlxKhPY 

2015-Present: El Niño: The addition of an El Niño, or a change in ocean temperature circulation on the currents, compounded the warmth to California's coast. This compounded with the Blob to create giant bodies of warm water. Both invertebrates and kelp are very sensitive to changes in water temperature, and warm water doesn't hold nutrients nearly as well as cold water. Kelp doesn't have a root system, so it relies on the surrounding water for their nutrient intake.

This tumbling of bad events over the past few years has radically altered the structure of Sonoma and Mendocino county's kelp forest food webs. I'll talk about this in more detail in the next post, but this extreme shift in environmental conditions has caused what is called a “trophic cascade”, meaning the tightly functioning system has wavered and collapsed. The lack of a keystone species allowed the purple urchins to multiply and eat at an uncontrolled rate, changing the kelp forests into what are known as “urchin barrens”.

This is what an urchin barren looks like; no food, no shelter, barely any diversity. Just bare rock covered in urchins mowing down anything that tries to grow, leaving nothing for the other animals that live there. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ 

These are essentially the complete opposite of kelp forests; large expanses of mostly barren rock and sand where only hard pink algae—called crustose coralline algae—can grow. Urchins cover these rocks, eating anything and everything they possibly can. There's no food and no shelter for the other invertebrates and fish inhabiting these areas. The red urchins people harvest have poor egg quality, and the red abalone people dive for are shrunken and weak from starvation.

This is what a healthy abalone looks like, at least from the bottom. Their strong foot clings to the rocks, allowing them to withstand wave action and resist attack from predators. Source: https://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/06future/abintro.htm

This is what an abalone looks like when its starving; shriveled and weak, unable to cling to rocks to protect themselves from predators. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ 

I was stricken when I realized this was happening. I was horrified at the thought of all these animals stuck in starvation mode, dying off in such large numbers it could seriously effect their conservation status. It didn't matter to me that abalone are basically just large sea snails; they're important, to both us and their community. And, they're living creatures; living creatures who are suffering, and that was enough for me.

I mean, look at this little guy! I hate it that he has to starve, don't you?

I wanted to help; I wanted to do something. That's why I've started this endeavor; I had no idea how many species were in such desperate conditions. Neither do most people; it's the kind of situation where, because people aren't seeing it right before their eyes, they don't know or don't bother to care. I hope to change that.

As I said, I plan on explaining the different aspects of this phenomenon and the ecology behind it in further detail over the course of this blog. I'll explain the physiological aspects of the animals involved, and I'll explain how this has affected us. Hopefully I can educate and interest you all enough to follow along and eventually take up the cause of helping these important communities in any way you can.

Stay curious.

"Sea" you next week!

Sources:

1. https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/
2.  https://phys.org/news/2016-10-survey-impact-sea-star-disease.html
3. https://noyocenter.org/help-the-kelp/
4. https://www.nps.gov/articles/theblob.htm
5. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/imageo/2015/10/14/godzilla-the-blob-son-of-blob-el-nino-reality-check/#.XEQPGlxKhPY 
6. https://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/06future/abintro.htm

Introduction: Welcome!

Hello there! Welcome to my cove!

Hello, science enthusiasts! Hello, animal lovers! Hello, conservationists! Welcome to the first ever stream of bubbles containing interesting information from this little corner of the California coastline. I'm Shelby, and I'm here to offer some insight on the health and function of some of the most important features of Northern California's coastal ecosystems.

I've always been interested in marine biology, every since I was a kid. What area I wanted to study changed several times from childhood to college. It went from marine mammals, to the rocky intertidal zone, to invertebrate zoology, to fisheries biology. The nice thing about the undergraduate stage of college is that you can go in with the first general idea of what you want to do, and then find the second, slightly smaller general idea of what you want to do. Six years of undergrad at Sonoma State University gave me fisheries biology as my main umbrella. I've always loved fishing, and college gave me a healthy appreciation for the kind of science that goes in to understanding the care and management of our this important resource. My undergraduate research units focused on the physiological aspect of marine biology, particularly in regards to marine invertebrates.

This is an abalone, my favorite marine invertebrate. It's basically a giant sea snail.

After graduating I spent a year volunteering as an assistant/intern under a team of Fish and Wildlife scientists at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory. This experience did me a triple service. It gave me a clearer view of the path I wanted to take as a marine scientist, showing me that yes, I did want to go to grad school and get a higher degree (not just because getting a good job in marine biology with only a bachelor's degree is not an easy task). It showed me the specific, micro area of study I wanted to focus on should I conduct my own independent research. I therefore plan to study the physiological effects of long term starvation on marine invertebrates when I do get to grad school.

The third service my volunteer work performed was to, ultimately, open my eyes to the current state of my county's and a nearer county's coastal ecosystems. I went in hoping to learn about invertebrate fisheries biology and management. What I found, in addition, was a distressing reality reflecting the impact of climate change on the kelp forests of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. These changes have impacted the kelp forest ecosystems throughout the food web, and are even impacting us. But I never would have known this if I had not taken the opportunity to learn about it. And I realized that very few people are likely to learn about it. This plight on our kelp forests isn't exactly widely advertised, and the people who hear about it third hand tend to take it with either a grain of salt, or take it with outright antagonism. I learned about the plight, and it's driven me to do more. It's influence what area of marine science I want to focus on, what kind of career I want to have. I want to help in every way I can. But I've also realized that what I can do as a scientist, alone, isn't enough. This is a big problem that effects a wide pool, so to speak. There's only so much one—or even a dozen—scientists can do. More people need to know about it; more people need to care, if change is going to happen.

This is a comparison of  kelp forest coverage over four important Northern Californian abalone fishery sites between 2008 and 2014. The cause was climate change, and the effects of this change are still being felt today. Source: https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ 

So, I've decided that in addition to my path towards becoming a career marine biologist, I also want to bring these issues more forward into the public eye. I want to raise awareness. I want to educate people. I want to inspire people to get involved. I want to give people the information needed to awaken that potential interest in preserving our marine resources. Eventually, I want to raise money to give to those organizations working to help fix this problem. But I can't do this alone. So, I'm turning to you, other people, to help me in this endeavor. Whether you are already scientifically inclined or not, I'd like your help. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you are the first step. I want to teach you about marine science.

This abalone is looking for food in an unusual place, since there isn't enough to go around. Source:https://cdfwmarine.wordpress.com/2016/03/30/perfect-storm-decimates-kelp/ 

My hope is if people are able to learn about these things in a more digestible manner, they'll want to get involved. Seeing these animals and natural features will make people want to keep them around, even if it's just for resource use. If I can interest you, maybe you'll listen to me. Maybe you'll take these problems seriously. Maybe you'll want to help. That's what this blog, and other subsequent social media platforms (because I plan on making a lot), are for. This is just an introduction, step one of a much larger plan. My goal is to eventually build enough of a following to warrant a charity KickStarter by next year. It might be a long shot, but I think it's possible. I think we can do it.

If you're interested in learning some marine science and California's kelp forest ecosystems, please follow this blog and keep an eye out for more social media platforms. I'll start lessons with next week's post, starting with what specifically is happening to our kelp forests. If you're curious, tune in to find out!

Stay curious.

"Sea" you next week!