They were in search of the world's largest single ecosystem, the only biqme man had never touched.
Migratory animals define the limits of such large ecosystems, he explained.
However, the reef itself is actually a component of a larger ecosystem.
"It encouraged micromanaging of the largest endangered ecosystem in the world."
Scientists say the finding is evidence of how little is known about the earth's largest ecosystem.
Data on the abundance of marine snow to the deep ocean floor is lacking in this large ecosystem.
The living resources found within the large ecosystems include fish, birds, plants and other wildlife, providing a significant portion of the world's food supply.
The prairie is a remnant of what was once a larger ecosystem.
Even with an ecosystem this large, I can't imagine there's enough food to support more than two of these gigantic predators.
There they could kill the native plants and fish of the larger ecosystem.