Ecosystem Connectors
The Species That Hold It All Together
Some species are more than participants—they’re organisers, stabilisers, and builders. These animals keep ecosystems in check and food webs flowing. Without them, habitats can collapse. Understanding their role helps us see the ocean as a living system, where every part is connected.
Floating on their backs, cracking open shells, sea otters may look playful—but their role in protecting kelp forests makes them silent ecosystem heroes.
Dressed in tropical colours and armed with beak-like teeth, parrotfish do more than dazzle—they reshape reefs, one bite at a time.
Brightly coloured and barely the length of your finger, cleaner wrasses perform one of the reef’s most vital jobs—keeping their neighbours healthy, one nibble at a time.
They don’t swim, hunt, or glow—but oysters transform their world quietly and constantly. As natural filters and reef-builders, these bivalves are unsung heroes of healthy coastal ecosystems.
With googly eyes, boxy bodies, and an inflatable defence system, pufferfish are nature’s quirky survivors—but beneath the puff lies an important role in reef and seagrass ecosystems.
It may look like seaweed, but seagrass is a true flowering plant—quietly weaving green tapestries across the seafloor, nurturing life, and locking away carbon beneath the waves.
They don’t swim, hunt, or glow—but oysters transform their world quietly and constantly. As natural filters and reef-builders, these bivalves are unsung heroes of healthy coastal ecosystems.
With googly eyes, boxy bodies, and an inflatable defence system, pufferfish are nature’s quirky survivors—but beneath the puff lies an important role in reef and seagrass ecosystems.
It may look like seaweed, but seagrass is a true flowering plant—quietly weaving green tapestries across the seafloor, nurturing life, and locking away carbon beneath the waves.
We’re just getting started
Watch this Space
The ocean is home to millions of extraordinary species—and we’re only beginning to tell their stories. New Ecosystem Connectors are on the Horizon. Check back soon—or follow NAUTRA to be the first to know when the next wave arrives.
Don’t stop now—there’s more to uncover!
Where to next?
Keep exploring marine science or discover more ways to be part of the wave.
