Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia
The dependency of walruses on sea ice as habitat, the extent of their feeding, their benthic bioturbation and consequent nutrient flux suggest that walruses play a major ecological role in Beringia. This suggestion is supported by several lines of evidence, accumulated during more than three decades...
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ftciteseerx:oai:CiteSeerX.psu:10.1.1.395.3738 2023-05-15T15:43:53+02:00 Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia G. Carleton Ray Jerry Mccormick-ray Peter Berg Howard E. Epstein The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives 2005 application/pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.3738 http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf en eng http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.3738 http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf Benthic function Benthic structure Beringia Bering Sea Nutrient flux Odobenus rosmarus Walrus text 2005 ftciteseerx 2016-01-08T02:27:00Z The dependency of walruses on sea ice as habitat, the extent of their feeding, their benthic bioturbation and consequent nutrient flux suggest that walruses play a major ecological role in Beringia. This suggestion is supported by several lines of evidence, accumulated during more than three decades of enquiry and leading to the hypothesis that positive feedbacks of walrus feeding strongly influence productivity and ecological function via benthic bioturbation and nutrient flux. Walruses annually consume an estimated 3 million metric tons of benthic biomass. Walrus prey species inhabit patches across the shelf according to sediment type and structure. Side-scan sonar and our calculations indicate that the area affected by walrus feeding is in the order of thousands of square kilometers per year. Annual to long-term walrus bioturbation results in significant, large-scale changes in sediment and biological-community structure, and magnifies nutrient flux from sediment pore water to the water column by about two orders of magnitude over wide areas. The combined effects of walrus feeding must be placed in the context of long-term, regional climate changes and responses. Should sea ice continue to move northward as a result of climate change, the walrus ' ecological role could be diminished or lost, the benthic ecosystem could be fundamentally altered and native subsistence hunters would be deprived of important resources. Text Bering Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice Beringia walrus* Unknown Bering Sea Pacific |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
ftciteseerx |
language |
English |
topic |
Benthic function Benthic structure Beringia Bering Sea Nutrient flux Odobenus rosmarus Walrus |
spellingShingle |
Benthic function Benthic structure Beringia Bering Sea Nutrient flux Odobenus rosmarus Walrus G. Carleton Ray Jerry Mccormick-ray Peter Berg Howard E. Epstein Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
topic_facet |
Benthic function Benthic structure Beringia Bering Sea Nutrient flux Odobenus rosmarus Walrus |
description |
The dependency of walruses on sea ice as habitat, the extent of their feeding, their benthic bioturbation and consequent nutrient flux suggest that walruses play a major ecological role in Beringia. This suggestion is supported by several lines of evidence, accumulated during more than three decades of enquiry and leading to the hypothesis that positive feedbacks of walrus feeding strongly influence productivity and ecological function via benthic bioturbation and nutrient flux. Walruses annually consume an estimated 3 million metric tons of benthic biomass. Walrus prey species inhabit patches across the shelf according to sediment type and structure. Side-scan sonar and our calculations indicate that the area affected by walrus feeding is in the order of thousands of square kilometers per year. Annual to long-term walrus bioturbation results in significant, large-scale changes in sediment and biological-community structure, and magnifies nutrient flux from sediment pore water to the water column by about two orders of magnitude over wide areas. The combined effects of walrus feeding must be placed in the context of long-term, regional climate changes and responses. Should sea ice continue to move northward as a result of climate change, the walrus ' ecological role could be diminished or lost, the benthic ecosystem could be fundamentally altered and native subsistence hunters would be deprived of important resources. |
author2 |
The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives |
format |
Text |
author |
G. Carleton Ray Jerry Mccormick-ray Peter Berg Howard E. Epstein |
author_facet |
G. Carleton Ray Jerry Mccormick-ray Peter Berg Howard E. Epstein |
author_sort |
G. Carleton Ray |
title |
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
title_short |
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
title_full |
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
title_fullStr |
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe Pacific walrus: Benthic bioturbator of Beringia |
title_sort |
journal of experimental marine biology and ecology 330 (2006) 403–419 www.elsevier.com/locate/jembe pacific walrus: benthic bioturbator of beringia |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.3738 http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf |
geographic |
Bering Sea Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Bering Sea Pacific |
genre |
Bering Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice Beringia walrus* |
genre_facet |
Bering Sea Odobenus rosmarus Sea ice Beringia walrus* |
op_source |
http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf |
op_relation |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.3738 http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Ray et al 2006 walrus in the Bering Sea.pdf |
op_rights |
Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. |
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1766378090702831616 |