chigau (I don't like this eternal 'nym thing, either)says
prettypretty
(I may have said that on another occasion)
JohnnieCanucksays
I imagine little gibbering voices, as they march on devastating everything in their path.
These are some of the ones that multiply beyond their food supply and destroy, amongst others, kelp forests. Humans keep removing their predators, because fashion or food or whatever.
That’s very pretty – I’m reminded of a time when I was snorkeling and admiring such a reef and unaware that the tide was going out until I realized that the creatures were getting pretty close to impaling me.
timothya1956says
JohnnyCanuck has it right.
On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef a close relative of that metazoan (the “crown of thorns” starfish – which looks very pretty) is busy munching its way through the underpinnings of its ecosystem because humans have provided it with the means of being a top predator.
Pretty to look at, bad news if you are a coral. Please stop substituting pretty pictures for ecological truth.
ChasCPetersonsays
Once forest*, now lawn.
It’s the Levittown of the sea.
*kelp, that is.
octopodsays
timothya1956@#8: “ecological truth”? WTF is untruthful about this picture? If you click through to the Echinoblog, you’ll see that it’s from an article on “sea urchin barrens”, with bonus allusions to Star Trek.
Which is to say: depiction is not endorsement.
Artorsays
It’s a pretty lawn, but I don’t think I’d like to walk on it barefoot.
prettypretty
(I may have said that on another occasion)
I imagine little gibbering voices, as they march on devastating everything in their path.
These are some of the ones that multiply beyond their food supply and destroy, amongst others, kelp forests. Humans keep removing their predators, because fashion or food or whatever.
At least the damn kids will stay off it.
Australian terrestrial equivalent similarly prickly.
Thank Spud. I thought it was just me.
ObDitty: Octopus’s Garden.
That’s very pretty – I’m reminded of a time when I was snorkeling and admiring such a reef and unaware that the tide was going out until I realized that the creatures were getting pretty close to impaling me.
JohnnyCanuck has it right.
On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef a close relative of that metazoan (the “crown of thorns” starfish – which looks very pretty) is busy munching its way through the underpinnings of its ecosystem because humans have provided it with the means of being a top predator.
Pretty to look at, bad news if you are a coral. Please stop substituting pretty pictures for ecological truth.
Once forest*, now lawn.
It’s the Levittown of the sea.
*kelp, that is.
timothya1956@#8: “ecological truth”? WTF is untruthful about this picture? If you click through to the Echinoblog, you’ll see that it’s from an article on “sea urchin barrens”, with bonus allusions to Star Trek.
Which is to say: depiction is not endorsement.
It’s a pretty lawn, but I don’t think I’d like to walk on it barefoot.