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Cthulhusaurus t1_j1f0z8j wrote

Genuine question: what is the loss to the native ecosystem if they die out? I don't know how their food web works or how it affects things outside their ecosystem

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WillKuzunoha t1_j1gl4ou wrote

They are one of the few native animals down there.

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Cthulhusaurus t1_j1gvl25 wrote

Right, but is that important? Like it's obviously sad, but are there greater consequences?

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utdconsq t1_j1j6k7l wrote

Undoubtedly, but I imagine it would be hard to do more than speculate without observing it happen. Emperors eat fish and crustaceans like krill. Krill are predated on by many animals, most notably whales, but the types of fish these guys eat I don't know much about. Effect of the penguins being gone, hard to say. Sadly, the krill which are so important to many, many, many species are also at risk due to acidification among other things.

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