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SUMMARY:Pee in the sea: Consumer-mediated nutrients in marine ecosystems -
  Isabelle Cote\, Simon Fraser University
DTSTART:20250220T130000Z
DTEND:20250220T140000Z
UID:TALK228469@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Henry North
DESCRIPTION:Nitrogen is a critical nutrient limiting primary production in
  the ocean. Some forms of nitrogen\, such as nitrates\, are provided by up
 welling of cold\, deep water to the surface\, characteristic of the west c
 oast of most continents. These facts\, provided in all marine biology text
 books\, give rise to two fundamental questions. Why is productivity so hig
 h in nutrient-poor ecosystems like tropical coral reefs? And are nitrogen 
 additions therefore unimportant for productivity in nutrient-replete ecosy
 stems like temperate kelp forests? Over the past decade\, we have tackled 
 these questions empirically with field observations\, experiments and meta
 -analyses in contrasting ecosystems: coral reefs of The Bahamas and kelp f
 orests of British Columbia. We find that both questions are resolved by co
 nsidering the input of excreted nitrogen by consumers such as fishes and i
 nvertebrates. In both ecosystems\, consumer-mediated nutrients prove essen
 tial to mediating the growth of a range of primary producers. They also sh
 ed new light on nutrient-related effects of invasive species in these ecos
 ystems. Taken together\, our research suggests that bottom-up processes ar
 e important across \nmarine ecosystems.
LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology
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