21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
hidden consequences

Small mysid shrimps congregating on a bryozoan growing on a strand of kelp. Its the unnoticed things that really interest me and in ocean conservation much is made of the larger pelagic animals but an imbalance in the food chain can start at the bottom and work its way to the top. I was really interested to observe this cohabitation and reliance while visiting Porthkerris in Cornwall. The healthy Kelp in this location had carpets of healthy bryozoans growing on it, on which lived large colonies of mysid shrimp, in turn providing a food source for other aquatic creatures. Every patch of bryozoans had a group of mysid inhabitants perfectly blending in and easy to miss. The idea behind this shot is that its often the hidden things that can have the biggest consequences in the balance of nature.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2023
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Porthkerris, United Kingdom
Camera: ILCE-7RM4A
Copyright: © sandra stalker