Sea stars have their role to play
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under ecuador
Big honking sea star
Sea stars (that is the correct name what for we commonly call starfish) are slow-moving relatives of sea cucumbers and urchins. They’re voracious eaters (though very slow) and will consume anything they creep across. Because of that, they’re often keystone species in an ecosystem, preying on other species that have no predator, to maintain ecological balance or stop an invasive species or pest.
This Panamic Cushsion sea star lives off North Seymour in the Galapagos Islands.
Humans, unfortunately, also find them beautiful when dried and place on a shelf, mantle, table or counter. So they’re sold on beaches the world over as souvenirs and decorative items. This leads to overharvesting of sea stars and disrupts entire ecosystems.
(Ironically, another sea star — the Crown of Thorns has thrived in places like Australia and southeast Asia because of the removal key stone species like mollusks and shrimp. The Crown of Thorns, however, is destructive to coral reef, which in turn can lead to ecosystem collapse.)
Tags: ecology, ecuador, environment, keystone species, ocean, panamic cushion sea star, photography, scuba diving, sea star, wildlife
Lingering devastation of the tsunami
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Dead, bleached trees are the most visible legacy of the tsunami
Hut Bay, Little Andaman, which was struck by a 30-meter wall of water five years ago, still carries a few scars: now-empty beaches where homes once stood. But photographing that dramatically is a bit akin to taking pictures of something that isn’t there.
The most stark reminder: sun-bleached trees along the forest line (above) that were stripped of their leaves by the force of nature.
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Tags: andaman and nicobar, beach, destruction, ecology, environment, hut bay, islands, little andaman, tidal, trees, tsunami, wave
Hello gecko
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under india
Caught (and released) by researchers from Croatia/Serbia
Presenting a native son of Wandoor, the Andaman Islands Day Gecko. (More on this adventure later.)
Tags: andaman and nicobar, andaman islands day gecko, beach, ecology, environment, india, photography, port blair, research, science, wandoor, wildlife
