The ghost of a giant – Six hypotheses for how an extinct megaherbivore structured kelp forests across the North Pacific Rim

Aim The global decline of megafauna is believed to have had significant and widespread ecological impacts. One such extinction likely important consequence the 18th century Steller’s sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas); however, little has been written about how loss this megaherbivore may impacted coastal ecosystem dynamics. Drawing on historical evidence, biology, kelp forest ecology, ecology extant sirenians, we propose several discrete hypotheses effects cows dynamics North Pacific. Location Pacific Ocean. Time period Pre-1760s. Major taxa studied gigas). Results & conclusions evidence review suggests that exerted substantial direct indirect influences forests, affecting physical structure, productivity, nutrient cycling, species interactions, export nutrients surrounding ecosystems. This resilience were already significantly altered prior influence more recent well-known stressors, as industrial fishing climate change, illustrates roles are lost with megafaunal extinction.