Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer
The Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus) occurs in unusual numbers on a shell bed of its prey remains that have accumulated as an extended midden where additional octopuses excavate dens. Here, O tetricus are ecosystem engineers, organisms that modulate availability of resources to other species and to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Scientia Marina |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1553 |
| _version_ | 1818669841222991872 |
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| author | David Scheel Peter Godfrey-Smith Matthew Lawrence |
| author_facet | David Scheel Peter Godfrey-Smith Matthew Lawrence |
| author_sort | David Scheel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus) occurs in unusual numbers on a shell bed of its prey remains that have accumulated as an extended midden where additional octopuses excavate dens. Here, O tetricus are ecosystem engineers, organisms that modulate availability of resources to other species and to their own species by causing physical state changes in materials. A community of invertebrate grazers and scavengers has developed on the shell bed. Fishes are attracted to the shell bed in numbers significantly greater than in nearby habitats. Large predators, including wobbegong sharks, were attracted to and fed on concentrations of fish, inhibiting the activities of the original engineers, the octopuses. Positive feedbacks included the accumulation of shell debris, increasing shelter availability for additional octopuses and aggregating fish. Negative feedbacks included reductions of nearby prey size and availability, aggression among octopuses, and predator limitation to octopus activity that would otherwise maintain the shell bed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T06:58:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2b23dca1ba0749c09a6f53318c37406f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0214-8358 1886-8134 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T06:58:37Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientia Marina |
| spelling | doaj.art-2b23dca1ba0749c09a6f53318c37406f2022-12-21T21:59:20ZengConsejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasScientia Marina0214-83581886-81342014-12-0178452152810.3989/scimar.04073.15A1524Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineerDavid Scheel0Peter Godfrey-Smith1Matthew LawrenceAlaska Pacific UniversityThe Graduate Center, City University of New YorkThe Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus) occurs in unusual numbers on a shell bed of its prey remains that have accumulated as an extended midden where additional octopuses excavate dens. Here, O tetricus are ecosystem engineers, organisms that modulate availability of resources to other species and to their own species by causing physical state changes in materials. A community of invertebrate grazers and scavengers has developed on the shell bed. Fishes are attracted to the shell bed in numbers significantly greater than in nearby habitats. Large predators, including wobbegong sharks, were attracted to and fed on concentrations of fish, inhibiting the activities of the original engineers, the octopuses. Positive feedbacks included the accumulation of shell debris, increasing shelter availability for additional octopuses and aggregating fish. Negative feedbacks included reductions of nearby prey size and availability, aggression among octopuses, and predator limitation to octopus activity that would otherwise maintain the shell bed.http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1553jervis baysocialpopulation densitydenningaggregation |
| spellingShingle | David Scheel Peter Godfrey-Smith Matthew Lawrence Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer Scientia Marina jervis bay social population density denning aggregation |
| title | Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer |
| title_full | Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer |
| title_fullStr | Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer |
| title_short | Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) as an ecosystem engineer |
| title_sort | octopus tetricus mollusca cephalopoda as an ecosystem engineer |
| topic | jervis bay social population density denning aggregation |
| url | http://scientiamarina.revistas.csic.es/index.php/scientiamarina/article/view/1553 |
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