1. Sea Otters to the Rescue.
- Author
-
IOVENKO, CHRIS
- Subjects
- *
SEA otter , *FORESTS & forestry , *KEYSTONE species , *MARINE biodiversity , *STARFISHES , *FOREST declines - Abstract
Enormous sunflower sea stars, now functionally extinct in California, were a major predator for sea urchins; in their absence, the urchin populations exploded. At the observed sites, as the urchin population grew, the otter's diet shifted to become more heavily reliant on urchins. Where these richly biodiverse marine ecosystems once thrived, little more now remains than a seafloor carpeted with spiky urchins, dubbed "urchin barrens.". [Extracted from the article]
- Published
- 2021