Study: Whales Are Ecosystem "Engineers" 64
An anonymous reader writes Researchers had previously thought that, being excessively uncommon and migrant, whales didn't have much of an effect on the more extensive marine environment. However, a new study distributed in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment gives whales a role as "engineers" of the oceans. In the study, scientists from the University of Vermont suggest that the 13 types of extraordinary whale have an essential and positive impact on the capacity of seas, on carbon storage, and on the state of fisheries around the globe. "The decline in great whale numbers, estimated to be at least 66% and perhaps as high as 90%, has likely altered the structure and function of the oceans, but recovery is possible and in many cases is already underway," researchers wrote in an article announcing their investigation.
As an Engineer,,, (Score:5, Insightful)
As an Engineer I feel that the title is being misused more and more.
Yep. (Score:5, Insightful)
Large apex predators change their environment. Change the numbers of the apex predators and the environment changes.
- So far, so good. Ecology 101.
"Engineers of the ocean" - now we're starting to anthropomorphize. Engineering, at least in the classic sense of human engineering, is a directed, (generally) intelligent effort to change the environment. Now, cetaceans are very likely intelligent (at least smarter than the average Internet user by all accounts), but the TFS doesn't give any indications that the whales are doing this purposely to change things, they're just being apex predators.
Grrr. I hate stuff like this. Perhaps the paywalled article is better, but TFS does not impress.
Re:How dare they (Score:4, Insightful)
Actually, there are quite a number of regulations concerning human activity in and around whales. Come to think of it, if engineers had those same regulations apply to them (mostly don't bother the whale, stay at least 100 yards away, no nearby explosions and such), then engineers might have a better chance of getting something useful accomplished.
Re:As an Engineer,,, (Score:2, Insightful)
Nah, he just wants the money he wasted on the sheepskin to mean something. It's a status thing.
Umm no. If he's a PE or otherwise licensed engineer (non-USA), it's a bit more than a sheepskin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R... [wikipedia.org]