What is a blue whales role in the ecosystem?

What is a blue whales role in the ecosystem?

The blue whales, along with the other great whales, play a key role in maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem. Through their defecation, whales fertilize the microscopic phytoplankton, upon which all sea life depends.

What is a blue whale habitat?

Habitat of the Blue Whale The blue whale lives in every ocean in the world, this means it inhabits every aquatic habitat. They have been found in the Arctic, Tropical, Subtropical, and Temperate seas.

What is the habitat of whale?

When it comes to a whales habitat as a species whales can be found swimming in all of the major oceans from the Arctic and Antarctic environments to the tropics located near the center of the equator.

What type of consumer is a blue whale?

secondary consumer
The blue whale is a secondary consumer on the food chain.

What is a whales niche?

Ecological Niche: Blue whales lie on the top of the food chain and feed on krill. They keep the number of krill in balance which allows the plankton to thrive and this keeps the ecosystem in balance. The number of phytoplankton is important because they are at the bottom of the food pyramid for marine animals.

How do whales help the environment?

Whales play a vital role in the marine ecosystem where they help provide at least half of the oxygen you breathe, combat climate change, and sustain fish stocks. Different species of whales feed on a range of marine creatures, including krill and fish, in the dark depths of the world’s oceans.

Is blue whale endangered?

Endangered (Population increasing)
Blue whale/Conservation status

Where do blue whales migrate?

The whales in the North Atlantic migrate to the Arctic during the summer and spring seasons. In the southern hemisphere, blue whales can be found migrating throughout Antarctica, although not much is known about the migration routes from the feeding grounds to the breeding grounds.

What are blue whales adaptations?

Among these adaptations are: streamlined bodies for efficient movement through water; forelimbs modified into flippers to aid in steering; hind limbs internalized remnants reducing drag; tail positioned horizontally to achieve a powerful up and down propulsion; hair replaced with under-skin blubber to provide warmth …

Is a whale a producer or consumer?

In the example above, phytoplankton are the primary producers, zooplankton are primary consumers, small fish are secondary consumers, porpoises are tertiary consumers and orca whales are quaternary consumers.

What type of consumer are whales?

Examples of secondary consumers: Carnivorous fish, seals, sea stars, whales, squid, some crabs ,lobsters etc. Some examples of tertiary consumers: Dolphins, sharks, killer whales, some sea birds etc.

What’s killer whales niche?

Ecosystem Roles Killer whales are top predators in most marine ecosystems and impact the populations of common prey, such as seals and sea lions in breeding areas.

Where do blue whales live?

Blue whales inhabit most of the world’s major oceans like the Antarctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean . In the North Atlantic, these marine mammals can be spotted off Newfoundland, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Nova Scotia, Greenland, the Azores, and Iceland.

Where does the blue whale live?

In winter, these blue whales are found off Central America and Mexico. But they migrate toward the U.S. West Coast in summer as well as the Gulf of Alaska for feeding. In summer, such blue whales are found across the southern part of Aleutians , southwestern region of Kamchatka as well as the Gulf of Alaska.

What are blue whales environment?

The blue whale habitat ranges from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean , which basically means that it can be found in all the oceans of the world.