Kelp

It looks like seaweed or algae. When in a large group, they can look like an underwater forest where fish and marine mammals hide from predators. Giant Kelp is like normal kelp, but grows much quicker and is very tall; Giant Kelp grows up from 100 to 175 ft. Scientific Name: Macrocystis pyrifera Poison Oak: Anatomy: Poison Oak has sets of 3 leaves going up the branch. These are called leaflets. The leaves themselves have alternate…

Enhydra Lutris or otherwise known as the Sea otter is an iconic species that embodies the rich diversity of ocean life. As one of the major groups of the weasel family, sea otters are also one of the smallest marine mammals. Unlike other mammals, such as whales and dolphins, Sea otters do not have blubber, instead they have one of the thickest and densest coat of fur. This fur coat holds up to almost one million hairs per square inch (Ravalli, 2010). With this amount of hair, the Sea Otter is…

of the Kelp forest would increase the atmospheric carbon in the coastal ecosystem. Being the top predator for sea urchins, without the sea otters, the kelp forests would be greatly reduced due to the main herbivore, sea urchins. These grazing animals can destroy kelp forests and consequently the wide diversity of animals that depend upon kelp habitat for survival. This relationship between sea otters and kelp is critical in helping to preserve the Kelp forest (see in figure one). The kelp…

The reading claims that a huge marine mammal which lived in water around Bering Island off the coast of Sibreria suddenly became distinct in 1768. The man reasons for the extinction are vague. The author brings three theories about the cause of the extinction. However, the lecturer finds all the ideas dubious and presents some evidence to refute them all. The author argues that groups of native Siberian people may have over haunted see cows. after hundreds of years of too much hunting the…

4c.) Kelp grows in cool water conditions. If the sun continues to heat the water, the water will become warm and kelp will not be able to grow. Unfortunately, it will take longer for the sun to reach the bottom of the ocean. Dayton, Paul K. "Ecology of kelp communities." Annual review of ecology and Systematics 16.1 (1985): 215-245. 5a.) Over time, carbon dioxide increased at…

found in areas with protection from the most severe ocean winds, such as rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests, and barrier reefs. They are considered a keystone species because they are crucial to the health of the nearshore marine ecosystem. Because sea otters eat sea urchins, which are herbivores that feed on kelp, they allow kelp forests to grow and in turn create habitat for many other species. Kelp forests also absorb harmful atmospheric carbon dioxide as well as protect coastlines from…

A keystone species play a far more important role than it’s relative abundance suggests. These species are the center pieces of their given communities and without them their ecosystem and habitat will fall apart. Keystones species are generally found in low numbers are often apex predators that control distribution and population, but are not limited to food sources, mutualistic species, and different providers. Some of these species are even ecosystem engineers that create or maintain habitats…

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),…

different parts of its ecosystem it affects. One part of the sea otters ecosystem that it affects is the kelp forests in the water. The sea otter and the kelp forests have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship because with the otters eating the sea urchins, the kelp forests stay healthy and provide a home for the otters. This relationship also helps ecosystems above the water because the kelp forests absorb vast amounts of CO2 in the air. One benefit of removing the sea otter from its ecosystem…

Description: o Physical characteristics of sea otters possess is the fact that they are small animals with short legs which have thick fur and short circular ears which means that they belong to the family Mustelidae[1]. The sea otters have varying fur colors from dark brown to black [6]. They are also highly social animals who travel in groups called rafts; a single raft could range from 10 sea otters to over 100 sea otters [6].  Scientific Name[1]: Enhydra lutis …