Mastodawn

Awkward by design.
Essential by function.

Eastern white-bearded wildebeest.

No elegance.
No apologies.

Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus
Keystone species energy.
https://www.cernunnosfoundation.com/nature-pictures/connochaetes-taurinus-albojubatus/ #Savanna #KeystoneSpecies

Ms. Que Banh Dec 24

The purple #seastar aka #OchreSeastar - Pisaster ochraceus - is one of the most commonly found #starfish along the coasts of #BritishColumbia. You can see they have thousands of tiny feet on their legs to help them move around.

The purple sea star is considered a #KeystoneSpecies & an essential indicator of #OceanHealth in #intertidal zone.

#WildlifeWednesday #SeaCreatures #MarineAnimals #wildlife #ProtectOceans #SupportMPAs #WildFirst #HealthyOceansHealthyPlanet #Environmentalist #nature #photography #WhatsInMyHand #MarineLife #LookAndLearn #educational #MarineBiology #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #SalishSea

Ms. Que Banh Dec 2

#Spawning #salmon in the river.

#Nanaimo #nature #fish #KeystoneSpecies #coho #WildFirst

💧🌏 Greg Cocks Nov 27

Beavers Were Brought To The [Utah] Desert To Save A Dying River. Six Years Later, Here Are The Results.
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https://www.upworthy.com/beavers-refresh-utah-desert-ex1 <-- shared technical media article
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https://youtu.be/9-L___3vV9s?si=7H4JJ7sq_t76jw2L <-- shared media video
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https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/01/23/voices-federal-water-investments/ <-- shared local media article on the revitalization
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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210713-the-beavers-returning-to-the-desert <-- shared international media article on the translocation
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H/T @upworthy
#water #hydrology #desert #Utah #PriceRiver #SanRafaelRiver #restoration #ecosystem #river #waterresources #arid #wildlife #agricultrure #tourism #economics #ROI #costbenefit #humaninpacts #climatechange #overfarming #pollution #Colorado #ColoradoRiverBasin #drought #extremeweather #fluvial #pluvial #wildfire #risk #hazard #fisheries #beaver #translocation #landform #geomorphology #dam #dams #beaverdam #ponds #wetlands #natural #waterquality #reintroduction #keystonespecies #trophiccascade #recreation #fisheries #riparian #habitat #diversity #flow #engineering #fedscience

Journal of Plant Ecology Sep 23, 2025

Yuan-Yuan Cui et al. explored the response of Stipa breviflora’s succession strategy to changes in precipitation within the community.

#ClimateChange | #KeystoneSpecies | #SpeciesSuccession | #LeafFunctionalTraits | #DesertSteppe

https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtae112

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Sep 9, 2025

Warming seas threaten key #phytoplankton species that fuels the #foodweb, study finds
“These are #keystonespecies — very important ones,” said François Ribalet, a research associate professor at the University of Washington’s School of #Oceanography and the study’s lead author. “And when a keystone species decreases in abundance, it always has consequences on #ecology and #biodiversity. The food web is going to change.”
https://apnews.com/article/phytoplankton-prochlorococcus-decline-food-web-warming-oceans-c9e31c10b3ff9d613b41517836d55122

Warming seas may halve key phytoplankton species’ population in tropical oceans

New research suggests that a tiny phytoplankton that is an essential part of the marine food web may decline sharply as oceans warm. Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant phytoplankton. A study published Monday in Nature Microbiology found that it could shrink by half in tropical oceans over the next 75 years if waters exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides its crucial role in the marine food web, Prochlorococcus produces about one-fifth of the planet’s oxygen. The findings challenge previous assumptions that this phytoplankton would thrive in warmer waters. Researchers warn that the decline could have significant consequences for marine biodiversity and the global climate.

AP News

Ms. Que Banh Sep 9, 2025

Thousands of baby #chinooks at a local #FishHatchery.

#SalmonFry #StagesOfLife #fish #salmon #KeystoneSpecies #Wsanec #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #SaveWildSalmon #WildSalmonAlliance #FishFarmsOut #WildFirst #ProtectTheWild #SalmonStewardship #BCWildSalmon #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #nature #wildlife #conservation

💧🌏 Greg Cocks Sep 5, 2025

Whitebark Pine In The United States Projected To Experience An 80% Reduction In Climatically Suitable Area By The Mid-21st Century
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https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adfcef <-- shared paper
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https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29485691.v1 <-- (open) spatial data used/produced in study
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #spatialanalysis #model #modeling #whitebark #whitebarkpine #pine #conifer #tree #PNW #WestUSA #SWCanada #threatened #EndangeredSpeciesAct #blister #rust #disease #pinebeetle #climatechange #warming #elevation #highelevation #keystonespecies #biodiversity #forest #tree #ecology #suitabilitymaps #planting #WPB #range #wildlife #bear #bird #multifactor #analysis

Mrs K Husky Aug 23, 2025

I've had this video marked for a very long time to watch (the video is now 9 years old). Today I watched it. It's incredibly moving and beautifully filmed. There are some truly wonderful people in this world of horror that we find ourselves. It is so important to keep our keystone species alive.
Twenty three minutes of your life that will be well spent.
GoPro Cause: The Last of the Rhinos:-
https://youtu.be/k6qn5jvqP3E?si=_BCZ9fNWeDVtm8d2

#Nature #Video #Wildlife #Photography #Rhino #Africa #KeystoneSpecies