Problem: A large concern of any project impact is the unintentional facilitation of a trophic cascade. Your NOAA supervisor has asked you to review the well-documented historic cascade that occurred in a kelp forest in the Pacific Northwest, and a new cascade discovery in a very different near-shore community as well.
Compare and contrast the kelp forest ecosystem from the salt marsh.. What are the functional and structural differences between the communities? What does it mean for them to both be top-down controlled systems? Do you agree with the findings of the studies presented? How do the techniques used in each study differ and which study findings do you find more believable? Identify a potential trophic cascade that could occur in the ecosystem near the site of your project application and any research you would recommend to prevent this from occurring.