Are Sea Urchins a Keystone Species

When the sea otters of the North American west coast were hunted commercially for their fur their numbers fell to such low levels fewer than 1000 in the north Pacific ocean that they were unable to control the sea. It is a little known fact that sea urchins chitons and limpets would not actually exist if it were not for the protection by coralline algae formations.

Seaurchin 300 Kelp Forest Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Keystone Species Kelp Forest Facts For Kids

They eat many invertebrates but especially sea urchins.

. Too many mussels will crowd out other species and since mussels have no other natural predators sea stars are. The sea otter is an important predator of sea urchins making it a keystone species for the kelp forests. Sea otters are a keystone species in the kelp forests.

Alligators keep a check on the population of several species. If there are too many sea urchins they will eat too much of the kelp and destroy it. The kelp in turn is a huge carbon store.

In the few areas where sea urchins were able to naturally recover these trends were reversed highlighting the importance of restoring this keystone species. Keystone species producer apex predator consumer Biodiversity Unit Test 8 of 14Items Item 8 Marine biologist Dr. James Estes researched sea otters and their habitats in the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific Ocean.

The Role of Coralline Algae in your Aquarium and in Nature. Keystone species are usually predators due to their ability to control the population of prey in their ecosystem. Sea otters protect kelp forests from damage by sea urchins.

The importance of a keystone species was shown by the extinction of the Stellers sea cow Hydrodamalis gigas through its interaction with sea otters sea urchins and kelp. Coralline Algae is a colorful component to any aquarium and adds to the overall aesthetics of your live rocks it plays an important part of reef health in a closed system such. By eating sea urchins and keeping their population under control they protect the giant underwater kelp forests that sea urchins feed on.

Or take the famous example of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park in the USA which led to a reduction in deer browsing allowing forests to return so dragging down carbon out of the. Sea stars eat mussels and keep their numbers in check. Sea otters feed on animals such as crabs and urchins.

Sea otters are responsible to keep a check on the population of sea urchins and thereby prevent the destruction of kelp forests caused by the sea urchins. They also make burrows to stay warm and when they migrate the burrows get filled. Following are the examples of keystone species.

Islands with sea otters contained a lot of kelp a seaweed that is an important food source for fish and other.

Embedded Keystone Species Species Kelp Forest