Serendipity: An Ecologist's Quest to Understand Nature"Many of the findings in the book . . . are classics of ecology. . . . A rare and delightful insight into timely science."—Jane Lubchenco, Nature "Estes's refreshing narrative deftly weaves rigorous science with personal reflection to create an absorbing and introspective read that is equal parts memoir, ecological textbook, and motivational guidebook for young ecologists."—Science To newly minted biologist James Estes, the sea otters he was studying in the leafy kelp forests off the coast of Alaska appeared to have an unbalanced relationship with their greater environment. Gorging themselves on the sea urchins that grazed among the kelp, these small charismatic mammals seemed to give little back in return. But as Estes dug deeper, he unearthed a far more complex relationship between the otter and its underwater environment, discovering that otters play a critical role in driving positive ecosystem dynamics. While teasing out the connective threads, he began to question our assumptions about ecological relationships. These questions would ultimately inspire a lifelong quest to better understand the surprising complexity of our natural world and the unexpected ways we discover it. Serendipity tells the story of James Estes’s life as a naturalist and the concepts that have driven his interest in researching the ecological role of top-level predators. Using the relationships between sea otters, kelp, and sea urchins as a touchstone, Estes retraces his investigations of numerous other species, ecosystems, and ecological processes in an attempt to discover why ecologists can learn so many details about the systems in which they work and yet understand so little about the broader processes that influence these systems. Part memoir, part natural history, and deeply inquisitive, Serendipity will entertain and inform readers as it raises thoughtful questions about our relationship with the natural world. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 8 | |
3 The Aleutian Archipelago | 21 |
4 Sea Otters and Kelp Forests | 28 |
5 A Toe in the Arctic Ocean | 45 |
6 Return to Attu | 60 |
7 Generality and Variation | 83 |
8 A Serpentine Food Web | 100 |
12 Whale Wars | 179 |
13 Foxes and Seabirds | 190 |
14 A Global Perspective | 203 |
15 Retrospection | 222 |
16 Looking to the Future | 231 |
Acknowledgments | 237 |
Glossary | 241 |
Bibliography | 249 |
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Common terms and phrases
abalones Adak Agarum Aleutian archipelago Aleutian Islands algae algal Amchitka Island animals apex predators Arctic Attu Attu Island began biomass bottom-up carbon carrying capacity Chichagof Harbor Clam Lagoon coastal ecosystems colleagues consumers decline distribution and abundance dive early ecological processes ecologists ecosystems experimental figure fish fishery foraging fox-free islands gulls habitats herbivores increased influence intertidal invertebrates kelp forests killer whale predation killer whales knew Laminaria large numbers look marine mammals Massacre Bay measure megafaunal collapse hypothesis mussels nature North Pacific Ocean nutrients nutritional limitation occurred otter densities otter-kelp trophic otter–kelp otters and kelp patterns phase shifts phlorotannins pinnipeds plants prey reefs sample sea lions sea otter population sea stars sea urchins seabirds seafloor Shemya southeast Alaska species interactions survey terrestrial tion top-down forcing Torch Bay transient killer whales trophic cascade understanding urchin barrens walruses western Aleutians Wildlife