Iron is a fertilizer that is very scarce in the Southern Ocean. A study from the University of California, Davis, has discovered a correlation between birds of prey and climate change. Phytoplankton at lying at the bottom of the ocean are consumed by grazing krill. In turn, the krill are eaten by birds of prey. Consumption of phytoplankton releases dimethyl sulfide (DMS) which forms sulfur compounds that help to cool the planet by promoting cloud formation. Professor Gabrielle Nevitt believes that these birds are crucial to climate regulation. The release of DMS comes with a scent that allows the birds of prey to locate the krill over the mostly isolated, featureless ocean. The krill that the birds eat are rich in iron. When the birds cannot absorb any more iron, it is released back into the ocean and acts as a fertilizer to promote the growth of plankton. The population of these birds is declining and is predicted to have a significant impact on marine productivity, especially in the Southern Ocean.
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-Based on Evidence- the study took into account evidence from over 50 years ago
-Motivation and Curiosity- it is the continuation of a study that is decades old and advocates for a better environment
-Importance of Repeatability- the same chemical releasing mechanism to attract predators is repeated in other plants both in the ocean and on land
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This seems like an extremely important relationship between predator and prey. The relationship shows that if one tiny species disappeared the entire world could be affected. If the phytoplankton disappeared the krill would eventuallly die out as well, then the birds would perish as well. If the birds stopped releasing DMS then the Earth would warm faster and everything would be affected.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article was interesting as we saw correlations between all the organisms on our planet. I think that maybe if we set more birds of prey loose in the world it might slow down global warming. The only setback is that it might have negative effects on the krill population.
ReplyDeleteI did some research of my own in to DMS, and found that even humans can smell it. A main ingredient in the pungent odror of the sea is dimethyl sulfide. Humans may have sensitive enough noses to smell DMS, but your article leads me to believe that these birds of prey are even more sensitive. To be able to track down something as small as krill by smell alone is an amazing feat. I know that humans can smell around 10 trillio odors, but how many can a bird of prey smell? http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/dimethyl/overview.php
ReplyDeleteIf the population of these birds is somehow increased it may be possible to lower the temp of the climate in more ways then one. This is huge because even despite some of our best efforts the climate problem is getting out of hand
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