Sea Otters are a very well known example of a keystone predator and often utilized by textbooks to illustrate the concept. Sea Otters “Enhydra Lutris” are involved in maintaining the population of macrobenthic grazers such as sea urchins “Strongylocentrotus polyacanthus” and mussels. Sea urchins and mussels are the dominant species in these shallow water benthic ecosystems. Left unchecked, the sea urchins overgraze the benthic vegetation and the kelp forests. Kelp forests provide habitat for fish including “Irish lords Hemilepidotus spp., greenlings Hexagrammos spp., and the rock sole Lepidopsetta bilineata; Ayres” bivalves (including the rock jingle Pododesmus macroschisma; Deshayes), chitons
(including Katharina tunicata; Wood, and Cryptochiton stelleri; Middendorf), limpets, crabs and seastars …show more content…
This leaves what is referred to as “barren ground” as the area is now devoid of all the macroalgae and benthic vegetation. Since these were originally a source of food and acted as habitat for local aquatic life, without these present, the remainder of the aquatic species either emigrate in search of other sources of food or simply die off.
This thereby reduces the biodiversity of the local ecosystem as the ecosystem is dominated by sea urchins. Mussels are also a dominant similar in similar benthic ecosystems. However, rather than overgrazing, mussels outcompete other sessile organisms for space. This results in the similar outcome of reduced species biodiversity due to species emigration or death.
The preferred prey of sea otters happens to be sea urchins. Sea otters consume approximately 15% to
20% of their body mass daily. In the Aleutian Islands, despite sea otters not being the only species
(including Katharina tunicata; Wood, and Cryptochiton stelleri; Middendorf), limpets, crabs and seastars …show more content…
This leaves what is referred to as “barren ground” as the area is now devoid of all the macroalgae and benthic vegetation. Since these were originally a source of food and acted as habitat for local aquatic life, without these present, the remainder of the aquatic species either emigrate in search of other sources of food or simply die off.
This thereby reduces the biodiversity of the local ecosystem as the ecosystem is dominated by sea urchins. Mussels are also a dominant similar in similar benthic ecosystems. However, rather than overgrazing, mussels outcompete other sessile organisms for space. This results in the similar outcome of reduced species biodiversity due to species emigration or death.
The preferred prey of sea otters happens to be sea urchins. Sea otters consume approximately 15% to
20% of their body mass daily. In the Aleutian Islands, despite sea otters not being the only species