Current Status and Tendencies in the Dynamics of Biota of the Bering Sea Macroecosystem

In the analysis of the long-term changes in the biota of the macroecosystems of the Bering Sea, many researchers focus on а) global greenhouse warming, b) decadal changes in climate and oceanological regimes, and c) cascading changes at different trophic levels. We think that the association of the majority of significant biological events in the Bering Sea with irreversible greenhouse warming is not justified. The relation between the dynamic processes in the populations, communities and ecosystems of the sea with the decadal changes in the climate regime is obvious. However, due to the sheer complexity of natural events, no identical recurrence of such changes has been observed, even during time periods with similar climatic conditions. Up until now, the cause-and-effect mechanisms of the transformations in populations and communities remain insufficiently studied. Here we present a critical assessment of the hypotheses of cascade transformations, including the chain of events following the overharvest of whales. In the 1990s–2000s, a significant amount of information has been collected on the biota in the Bering Sea, representing middle and higher trophic levels (zooplankton, zoobenthos, nekton, nektobenthos, sea birds and mammals). The abundance and biomass assessments of the majority of these animals, with few exceptions, suggest that they are at medium or high multi-annual levels. We conclude that normal functioning of the biota in the Bering Sea macroecosystem ensures its ability to support both biological and fish productivity at a high level. All correspondence should be addressed to O. Temnykh. e-mail: [email protected] Current Status and Tendencies in the Dynamics of Biota of the Bering Sea Macroecosystem Vyacheslav P. Shuntov and Olga S. Temnykh Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center), 4 Shevchenko Alley, Vladivostok 690950, Russia