Sometimes we don´t have to look in the distance to discover ecological spectacles worth studying, communicating, and preserving.
A new study (between DTU Aqua and Lund University) describes how immense quantities of lipids arrive in Øresund every fall, a short distance from Copenhagen. The lipid are conveyed by more than one hundred thousand tons of fat herring that return from productive feeding grounds to the North, and presents the local cod population with an opportunity to dwell into a veritable feast. However, since these migratory herring are relatively large, only relatively large cod have access to the lipid feast.
It has previously been suggested that prey subsidies, by movement of either prey or predators, often enhance predator production beyond what local resources can support. The present study supports this notion, and thereby highlights the importance of addressing migrant-resident interaction in ecosystem models, conservation initiatives, infrastructure planning, and fisheries management.
The research was funded by Danish council of independent research DFF-4002-00114.
You can read the paper online or download it here.