An Antarctic starfish (Odontaster validus) climbs over an Antarctic scallop (Adamisium colbecki).

You must be logged in to access all resource information.

An Antarctic starfish (Odontaster validus) climbs over an Antarctic scallop (Adamisium colbecki) in the coastal Ross Sea. Antarctic starfish are omnivores with a wide range of potential prey and an ability to filter feed. Marine food webs often have a high degree of omnivory, with animals tending to feed broadly across available food types, both up and down the food chain. As a result, species such as starfish do not appear to be restricted to fixed trophic positions in marine food webs. In marine ecosystems in Antarctica, sea ice conditions influence food web dynamics by affecting the primary food sources that are available. This photograph originally appeared on the cover of Ecology (88:11) in November of 2007.

Cumulative Rating:

(based on 1 response)

Primary or BEN resource type	Photograph
Url	You must be logged in to access all resource information.
Associated files	You must be logged in to access all resource information.
Format	jpeg
Temporal and geographic description	Coastal Ros Sea, Antarctica.
Ecological Core Concept	Interspecific interactions -- Predation and herbivory Interspecific interactions Ecosystems -- Food webs and trophic cascades Ecosystems
Drought & Water-Ecosystem Services Collection	Off
Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection	Off
Big Data Collection	Off
Editor's Choice	No
Audience	Undergraduate upper division 15-16 Undergraduate lower division 13-14
Pedagogical Use Description	This photograph can be used to illustrate starfish, sea scallops, or as an example of an Antarctic marine species.
Keywords	predation, food web, dynamics, ice, primary production, marine, aquatic, Antarctica
Key taxa	Antarctic starfish, Odontaster validus, Antarctic scallop, Adamisium colbecki
Life science discipline (subject)	Ecology
Primary Author Controlled Name	Rod Budd
Primary Author Affiliation	Antarctica New Zealand
Primary Author email	n/a
Rights	Copyright 2007 by the Ecological Society of America.
Resource Editor	Unknown
Reviewer A	Unknown
Reviewer B	Unknown
Date Of Record Submission	2008-04-08

Report a Problem with this Resource

Resource Comments

(no comments available yet for this resource)