Historical overfishing and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems


Autoria(s): Jackson, Jeremy B. C.; Kirby, Michael X.; Berger, Wolfgang H.; Bjorndal, Karen A.; Botsford, Louis W.; Bourque, Bruce J.; Bradbury, Roger H.; Cooke, Richard; Erlandson, Jon; Estes, James A.; Hughes, Terence P.; Kidwell, Susan; Lange, Carina B.; Lenihan, Hunter S.; Pandolfi, John M.; Peterson, Charles H.; Steneck, Robert S.; Tegner, Mia J.; Warner, Robert R.
Data(s)

27/07/2001

Resumo

Ecological extinction caused by overfishing precedes all other pervasive human disturbance to coastal ecosystems, including pollution, degradation of water quality, and anthropogenic climate change. Historical abundances of large consumer species were fantastically large in comparison with recent observations. Paleoecological, archaeological, and historical data show that time lags of decades to centuries occurred between the onset of overfishing and consequent changes in ecological communities, because unfished species of similar trophic level assumed the ecological roles of overfished species until they too were overfished or died of epidemic diseases related to overcrowding. Retrospective data not only help to clarify underlying causes and rates of ecological change, but they also demonstrate achievable goals for restoration and management of coastal ecosystems that could not even be contemplated based on the limited perspective of recent observations alone.

Identificador

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:37471

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

The American Association for the Advancement of Science

Palavras-Chave #Ecology #Kelp Forest Communities #Chesapeake Bay #Sea Otters #Southern California #Infectious-disease #Marine Ecosystem #Reef Community #Oyster Reefs #Moreton Bay #Baltic Sea #1109 Neurosciences
Tipo

Journal Article