Research in Australian bay shows absence of apex predators can exacerbate extreme climate damage
Sharks are critical in helping ecosystems recover from extreme climatic events, according to a new study.
The conclusions came after scientists were able to determine the importance of the apex predator to a unique ecosystem following an extreme marine heatwave in 2011, which wiped out a quarter of one of the world’s largest and most biodiverse seagrass meadows in Shark Bay, Western Australia.