Loggerhead
Turtle
But First, Biodiversity!
With 8.7 million species living on our vast planet, the loss of one or two might seem like no big deal. However, every species is important and plays a specific and crucial role. Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life on earth, and is vitally important to the sustainability of our planet (Miller, T. and Spoolman S., 2015). So why is biodiversity so important? Read on to find out!
Species Diversity
Why care about a single species like the loggerhead? Why put in the time, money, and energy to save an endangered or threatened species? The abundance and richness of species in an area (also known as Species diversity) is important because each and every species, no matter how small, has an important role to play in its ecosystem. The disappearance of just one could throw off the balance and functionality of entire communities. The loggerhead has incredibly important roles in his niche which you will read about later. Species diversity is important to human lives too! For example, a greater variety of plants on earth means more crops to choose from.
Functional Diversity
Speaking of functionality and importance to humans, functional diversity is another part of biodiversity worth caring about. Functional diversity is the biological and chemical processes needed for the survival of species and biological communities (Miller, T. and Spoolman S., 2015). Yes, that includes humans too. Healthy and biodiverse ecosystems can provide important services for everyone such as energy flow, matter cycling, climate stability, and protection of water systems (Miller, T. and Spoolman S., 2015).
Genetic Diversity
Now, if you were to look up biodiversity and do some research of your own, you would probably come across something called genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is the variability in genetic makeup among individuals within a single species (Miller, T. and Spoolman S., 2015). What genetic diversity does is ensure stability of the species. A diverse gene pool is key to survival which means with every loggerhead that dies, the vast gene pool becomes one turtle smaller.
So What Makes The Loggerhead So Important?
Aside from being incredibly intelligent and beautiful animals, the Loggerhead Turtle is a keystone species, meaning that its survival is crucial to not only the survival of hundreds of other ocean creatures and the sustainability of both their ocean environment and our world. How can a turtle impact the world you ask? His ecological niche is wide and vast due to his migratory nature and his prominence all over the world. He also holds exponentially important values. Aside from his intrinsic right to live, the loggerhead is beautiful (aesthetic value) and helpful to humans (instrumental value). If things continue on the path they are on now, there is no telling how far the reaches of the repercussions might be. With no loggerheads left, not only would future generations not be able to experience their serene magic (bequest value), but also our beaches, oceans, and world may be at stake. So what exactly do the Loggerheads do that make them so important?
The loggerhead not only has intrinsic value, but he contributes to functional diversity and biological diversity by helping to maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds, both of which are ecosystems incredibly important to humans. (Loggerhead Turtle, WWF).
In addition to the sea grass beds, our friend the loggerhead is incredibly important to the health of our coral reefs and in turn, our world. One of the turtle’s main dietary aspects is the sea sponge. By eating and chipping away at the sea sponge population, the turtle helps pave the way for one of our world's most diverse and beautiful ecosystems to thrive. And do you know what healthy reefs mean? A healthy world! Coral reefs are some of the most important systems for storing and regulating carbon on the planet, meaning that when our friend the loggerhead eats the sponges and the coral reefs thrive, CO2 levels decrease therefore slowing climate change. Without the turtles, who knows how hot our world could get! Say goodbye to dreams of a white Christmas and sandy beaches. Say hello to floods, hurricanes, and drought. Without the turtles, all of this could be lost.
They are CRUCIAL for Keeping Our Ecosystems and Our World Healthy
Sea grass is not only home to hundreds of species important to the food chain and humans alike, the grasses also help to keep storms from ravaging coastal communities. Marine turtles are some of the only species to eat sea grass, and just like the grass on your front lawn; it needs to be constantly cut short to remain healthy (Why Care, 2015). If the sea grass beds were to die out with the turtles, not only would dozens of species and food sources be lost, so would an immeasurable amount of species diversity as well as the grass’s ability to prevent storms and store carbon for the base of the food chain. Without the turtles, storms would surge coasts and many communities would be lost and destroyed (think hurricane Sandy).
They Help to Keep Our Beaches in Tip Top Shape
Loggerheads also hold great instrumental value, or use to humans. They recycle important nutrients to sand dune systems and help keep the ocean floor sediments in balance (Loggerhead Turtle, WWF). Now that may seem like a lot of science jargon but don’t fret! Let's break it down. Have you ever noticed how little vegetation there are on beaches? This is because our beloved sand dunes are very low on nutrients. When the turtles come to shore each year to their nesting sites, the eggs that don't hatch or hatchlings that don't make it to sea provide tons of nutrients to the dunes and their plants. Healthy dune vegetation leads to a healthy overall beach. If the Loggerhead and its companions were to go extinct, the dune vegetation would likely become weak, and would not be strong enough to maintain the dunes, which could lead to some serious erosion (Why Care, 2015). Serious erosion could mean a threat to towns and communities built on or near coastlines. Dunes are a natural barrier against the destructive forces of wind and waves (Dune Protection). For many coastal communities, sand dunes are the first line of defense against coastal storms and beach erosion (Dune Protection). Loss of the turtles could even mean no more beaches. So, unless you see a future without a single sunny beach day, you better start caring! Click here to see what you can do to help!
They Are Habitats Themselves!
Not only does the loggerhead maintain hundreds of habitats around the world, they are habitats themselves, carrying colonies of small plants and animals on their shells! Through something called mutualism, as many as 100 species of animals and plants have been recorded living on a single loggerhead turtle (Loggerhead Turtle, WWF).
They Keep the Food Chain in Check
Another essential aspect is that loggerheads along with most marine turtles is their diet. They are on of the primary consumers of JELLYFISH! (Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Nat Geo). Without the turtles, the jellyfish populations can very quickly get out of control. The Loggerhead, by eating invasive and quick growth species such as the jellyfish, is a crucial creature for stabilizing the ocean ecosystem (maintaining species evenness) and making sure that the jellies don’t overpopulate. nobody wants the ocean to become a giant jellyfish soup. They are incredibly important creatures for balancing the food webs and chains in our oceans. A similar situation arose in Japan a few years back, causing a major decline in all other species as the jellyfish took over the waters. Fishing fleets were left with huge economic losses (visit the economic tab to find out more), and the biodiversity of their coast dropped dangerously low. To learn more read this article from Yale’s environmental paper