Do sunflower seastars have a predator?

[Sea of Green]

I did a dive today at the Oil Dock. It's not unusual to see dozens of sunflower seastars there, but today even surprised me, there had to be hundreds of them, I couldn't believe it! My question is, why are they so prolific at the Oil Dock? What controls their population, i.e. what eats them, besides each other? BTW, it was a great dive, vis was a good 30ft, lots of ratfish and other marine life, including an enormous number of sunflower seastars.

[nwscubamom]

There are three types of other Seastars that prey on the Sunflower Star - all are called Sun Stars and are in the Solaster genus:

Dawson's Sun Star
Stimpsons Sun Star
Orange Sun Star

Guess there's not many of those around at the oil dock?

- Janna

[Sounder]

You forgot one - a sunflower star will eat another sunflower star if given the opportunity!!!

[nwscubamom]

i.e. what eats them, besides each other?

Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew that

- Janna

[Sounder]

i.e. what eats them, besides each other?

Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew that

- Janna

Reading... It gets me every time. ](*,)

[CaptnJack]

There are lots of mussels at the oil dock, the sunstars and ratfish are there for those yummy mussels.

While somewhat out of favor there are some ecological concepts pertinent here. "Top down" and "Bottom up"

Top down means something (including an entire ecosystem) is controlled by large predatory stuff at the top of the food chain. Squid and herring are good examples. They have a vast reproductive capacity and their populations are predominantly controlled by predation (includng fishing)

Bottom up is the reverse, where reproductive capacity and/or food supply limits the planet being overrun by some critter(s).

Sunflower stars are more "bottom up" and more limited by food and intraspecific space than by predators. Orcas are also bottom up.

As I said, these concepts are not the current hot topic in ecology - but they illustrate that its not just predation that keeps us form being overrun by seastars.

[kjc]

There are lots of mussels at the oil dock, the sunstars and ratfish are there for those yummy mussels.

While somewhat out of favor there are some ecological concepts pertinent here. "Top down" and "Bottom up"

Top down means something (including an entire ecosystem) is controlled by large predatory stuff at the top of the food chain. Squid and herring are good examples. They have a vast reproductive capacity and their populations are predominantly controlled by predation (includng fishing)

Bottom up is the reverse, where reproductive capacity and/or food supply limits the planet being overrun by some critter(s).

Sunflower stars are more "bottom up" and more limited by food and intraspecific space than by predators. Orcas are also bottom up.

As I said, these concepts are not the current hot topic in ecology - but they illustrate that its not just predation that keeps us form being overrun by seastars. :)

Wwwweeellll then......


Why don't you make us all an Egg Head & Sea Star Stew?

[CaptnJack]

Wwwweeellll then......


Why don't you make us all an Egg Head & Sea Star Stew?

You're the cook

[kjc]

wok on bye, wok on bye....

I'll wok all over uuuu......

It's a beautiful day....

Let us slip away....

It's a beautiful day....

[Sea of Green]

i.e. what eats them, besides each other?

Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew that

- Janna

Like in this picture. We saw a 3-way version of this picture during the dive. This pic was also taken at the Oil Dock several years ago.

[Sea of Green]

There are lots of mussels at the oil dock, the sunstars and ratfish are there for those yummy mussels.

While somewhat out of favor there are some ecological concepts pertinent here. "Top down" and "Bottom up"

Top down means something (including an entire ecosystem) is controlled by large predatory stuff at the top of the food chain. Squid and herring are good examples. They have a vast reproductive capacity and their populations are predominantly controlled by predation (includng fishing)

Bottom up is the reverse, where reproductive capacity and/or food supply limits the planet being overrun by some critter(s).

Sunflower stars are more "bottom up" and more limited by food and intraspecific space than by predators. Orcas are also bottom up.

As I said, these concepts are not the current hot topic in ecology - but they illustrate that its not just predation that keeps us form being overrun by seastars.

So translated that means there's lots of food and space for them at the Oil Dock?

[CaptnJack]

Yup

Kevin you're into oriental food, do they fry up good?

[kjc]

Yup

Kevin you're into oriental food, do they fry up good?

Sea Star Tripe?

Huh?

I've never tried....nor will I.

My thought is, NO!

Other wise there probably would have already been a commercial harvest for them.

The dynamics of what is up and what is down would have been turned sideways by now if that were true.

[Sea of Green]

Yup

Kevin you're into oriental food, do they fry up good?

Sea Star Tripe?

Huh?

I've never tried....nor will I.

My thought is, NO!

Other wise there probably would have already been a commercial harvest for them.

The dynamics of what is up and what is down would have been turned sideways by now if that were true.

Well if not even Kevin will eat them, that explains why they're so abundant! (Just pokin' ya in the ribs, Kevin!)

[kjc]

Just pokin' ya in the ribs, Kevin!)

wwhheewww.....

Greenie is a player!