The remainder of paradise - How important are whales and seals for polar ecosystems?

[Orstio]

http://www.everything-science.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=157&Itemid=1

Polar regions are among the most inhospitable on earth; however, they harbour the largest animals , albeit in the ocean. Until recently, a seemingly endless food supply in the Arctic and Antarctic appeared to explain the large stocks of whales and seals. Now there is increasing evidence that the large mammals may have survived as a consequence of the polar regions’ harshness and inaccessibility to humans, and that their distribution may have been much wider in the past. Furthermore, it is not unlikely that the disappearance of large marine mammals from temperate oceans resulted in profound changes to the whole ecosystem.

Beneficiary or preserver: Humpback whales in polar waters. - Foto: Alfred-Wegener-Institut.. . .

[Patty]

In my opinion, whales and seals (and penguins etc) are not terribly important for the polar ecosystem, as they represent the highest tropic level.  The loss of something like krill, on the other hand, is highly disturbing in terms of the ecosystem.

Whales are important because they are what people (the ones in charge here on Earth)  like to look at, think about, and write epics about. "Save the Krill" doesn't fire up the heart and soul. We won't get people to change habits and use fewer resources in order to save krill.

And I suppose whales are *indicators* for lower tropic levels. We will only have a large number if conditions (including food sources down the chain to primary producers) are right.

Any loss in biodiversity is a crime against natture, of course - but I understand that fungal biodiversity, for example, is down considerably (here's one link, there are others: http://nt.ars-grin.gov/sbmlweb/Research/Publications/StrategyATBI/Strategy02.cfm) .

Just a few thoughts.