Do sunflower seastars have a predator?
Do sunflower seastars have a predator?
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
- I've Got Gills
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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
Dawson's Sun Star
Stimpsons Sun Star
Orange Sun Star
Guess there's not many of those around at the oil dock?
- Janna
Janna Nichols
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
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You forgot one - a sunflower star will eat another sunflower star if given the opportunity!!!
GUE Seattle - The official GUE Affiliate in the Northwest!
- nwscubamom
- I've Got Gills
- Posts: 2315
- Joined: Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:13 am
Re: Do sunflower seastars have a predator?
Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew thatSea of Green wrote: i.e. what eats them, besides each other?
- Janna
Janna Nichols
My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
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My underwater photo galleries
REEF Citizen Science Program Manager
Seen any cool critters lately?
><((((°>
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Re: Do sunflower seastars have a predator?
Reading... It gets me every time. ](*,)nwscubamom wrote:Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew thatSea of Green wrote: i.e. what eats them, besides each other?
- Janna
GUE Seattle - The official GUE Affiliate in the Northwest!
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.
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.
Stew???
CaptnJack wrote: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?
Re: Stew???
You're the cookkjc wrote: Wwwweeellll then......
Why don't you make us all an Egg Head & Sea Star Stew?
eeeeyyy'ee Capt'n....
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....
I'll wok all over uuuu......
It's a beautiful day....
Let us slip away....
It's a beautiful day....
Re: Do sunflower seastars have a predator?
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.nwscubamom wrote:Doug, I'm thinkin' he already knew thatSea of Green wrote: i.e. what eats them, besides each other?
- Janna
So translated that means there's lots of food and space for them at the Oil Dock?CaptnJack wrote: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.
eeewww....
Sea Star Tripe?CaptnJack wrote:Yup
Kevin you're into oriental food, do they fry up good?
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.
Re: eeewww....
Well if not even Kevin will eat them, that explains why they're so abundant! (Just pokin' ya in the ribs, Kevin!)kjc wrote:Sea Star Tripe?CaptnJack wrote:Yup
Kevin you're into oriental food, do they fry up good?
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.
Re: eeewww....
Sea of Green wrote:Just pokin' ya in the ribs, Kevin!)
wwhheewww.....
Greenie is a player!