Deep Dives 6 - Sea Otters: Keystone Species

Welcome to Pelecanus Deep Dives, where we take a headline from a recent Pelecanus NEWS episode and take a deep dive, just like a pelican, into the article and try and explain some of the more technical, nuanced, or maybe complex ideas of the story to help us all better understand our world. In this episode, our host Harrison Parker, PhD., talks about Keystone species as it relates to the Conservation Conversations episode with the Aquarium of the Pacific's Megan Smylie about their Sea Otter surrogacy program that originally aired on October 19th, 2023. Visit them at https://www.aquariumofpacific.org Host for this episode is Harrison Parker, Producers are Harrison and Austin Parker. Music was provided by A Picture Book Studios This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Tidal Influence, a Californian ecological consulting firm who proudly supports environmental education and all of the diverse conservation efforts that Pelecanus works to highlight. Visit their website at www.tidalinfluence.com to learn more about what they do to conserve our coastal resources and how you can get involved This podcast is sponsored by Project Dragonfly, a master’s degree program offered by Miami University dedicated to ecological and social change. Project Dragonfly offers a part-time Master of Arts in Biology degree, focused on conservation, or a Master of Arts in Teaching for teachers. The program is designed for working professionals and can be completed from anywhere in the United States. Learn more at projectdragonfly.miamioh.edu. References: Video on Yellowstone wolves: https://www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem/ https://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/groups/McNair%20Scholars%20Program/20192020Journals/pitts_taylor.pdf https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/The%20keystone%20species%20role%20of%20the%20sea%20otter%2007302021.pdf https://www.coastalresearchcenter.ucsb.edu/cmi/seaotters.html https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/role-keystone-species-ecosystem/ https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-09/sea-otters-are-unlikely-helpers-our-fight-against-climate-change https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_fur_trade https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/conservation/research/southern_sea_otters https://www.pinterest.com/pin/788130003513324931/ https://ocean.org/blog/trophic-levels-part-1/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_%28architecture%29 https://oregonmarinereserves.com/2019/10/24/urchins/ https://news.virginia.edu/content/study-finds-kelp-key-californias-coastal-ecosystems https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/animal-care/learn-about-marine-mammals/pinnipeds/california-sea-lion https://plannersweb.com/2006/07/enticements-needed-to-woo-the-public/pizza-delivery-large-stack-square/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaerechinus_granularis https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/stories/the-feel-good-science-behind-sea-otter-surrogacy https://ny.eater.com/2015/1/23/7876987/pasquale-cozzolino-makes-an-uni-pizza-with-fire-and-ice-at-prova https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/conservation/sustainability_for_all https://www.esa.org/blog/2014/08/climate-change-predators-and-the-trickle-down-effects-on-ecosystems/