scholarly journals Biological correlates of sea urchin recruitment in kelp forest and urchin barren habitats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Weitzman ◽  
B Konar
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Urchin Barren

scholarly journals Kelp forest ecosystems: biodiversity, stability, resilience and future

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 436-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Steneck ◽  
Michael H. Graham ◽  
Bruce J. Bourque ◽  
Debbie Corbett ◽  
Jon M. Erlandson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Sea Urchin ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
Fishing Impacts

Kelp forests are phyletically diverse, structurally complex and highly productive components of coldwater rocky marine coastlines. This paper reviews the conditions in which kelp forests develop globally and where, why and at what rate they become deforested. The ecology and long archaeological history of kelp forests are examined through case studies from southern California, the Aleutian Islands and the western North Atlantic, well-studied locations that represent the widest possible range in kelp forest biodiversity. Global distribution of kelp forests is physiologically constrained by light at high latitudes and by nutrients, warm temperatures and other macrophytes at low latitudes. Within mid-latitude belts (roughly 40–60° latitude in both hemispheres) well-developed kelp forests are most threatened by herbivory, usually from sea urchins. Overfishing and extirpation of highly valued vertebrate apex predators often triggered herbivore population increases, leading to widespread kelp deforestation. Such deforestations have the most profound and lasting impacts on species-depauperate systems, such as those in Alaska and the western North Atlantic. Globally urchin-induced deforestation has been increasing over the past 2–3 decades. Continued fishing down of coastal food webs has resulted in shifting harvesting targets from apex predators to their invertebrate prey, including kelp-grazing herbivores. The recent global expansion of sea urchin harvesting has led to the widespread extirpation of this herbivore, and kelp forests have returned in some locations but, for the first time, these forests are devoid of vertebrate apex predators. In the western North Atlantic, large predatory crabs have recently filled this void and they have become the new apex predator in this system. Similar shifts from fish- to crab-dominance may have occurred in coastal zones of the United Kingdom and Japan, where large predatory finfish were extirpated long ago. Three North American case studies of kelp forests were examined to determine their long history with humans and project the status of future kelp forests to the year 2025. Fishing impacts on kelp forest systems have been both profound and much longer in duration than previously thought. Archaeological data suggest that coastal peoples exploited kelp forest organisms for thousands of years, occasionally resulting in localized losses of apex predators, outbreaks of sea urchin populations and probably small-scale deforestation. Over the past two centuries, commercial exploitation for export led to the extirpation of sea urchin predators, such as the sea otter in the North Pacific and predatory fishes like the cod in the North Atlantic. The large-scale removal of predators for export markets increased sea urchin abundances and promoted the decline of kelp forests over vast areas. Despite southern California having one of the longest known associations with coastal kelp forests, widespread deforestation is rare. It is possible that functional redundancies among predators and herbivores make this most diverse system most stable. Such biodiverse kelp forests may also resist invasion from non-native species. In the species-depauperate western North Atlantic, introduced algal competitors carpet the benthos and threaten future kelp dominance. There, other non-native herbivores and predators have become established and dominant components of this system. Climate changes have had measurable impacts on kelp forest ecosystems and efforts to control the emission of greenhouse gasses should be a global priority. However, overfishing appears to be the greatest manageable threat to kelp forest ecosystems over the 2025 time horizon. Management should focus on minimizing fishing impacts and restoring populations of functionally important species in these systems.

Food Availability, Sea Urchin Grazing, and Kelp Forest Community Structure

Ecology ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 1160-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Harrold ◽  
Daniel C. Reed
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Urchin Grazing

Macroalgal forest vs sea urchin barren: Patterns of macro-zoobenthic diversity in a large-scale Mediterranean study

2020 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 104955
Author(s):  
S. Pinna ◽  
L. Piazzi ◽  
G. Ceccherelli ◽  
A. Castelli ◽  
G. Costa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urchin Barren

Effects of predators on sea urchin density and habitat use in a southern California kelp forest

2015 ◽  
Vol 162 (6) ◽  
pp. 1227-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn D. Nichols ◽  
Leah Segui ◽  
Kevin A. Hovel
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Urchin Density

scholarly journals Lack of sea urchin settlement may explain kelp forest recovery in overgrazed areas in Norway

2013 ◽  
Vol 488 ◽  
pp. 119-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
CW Fagerli ◽  
KM Norderhaug ◽  
HC Christie
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Forest Recovery

scholarly journals The sea urchin – the ultimate herbivore and biogeographic variability in its ability to deforest kelp ecosystems

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrett E Byrnes ◽  
Ladd E. Johnson ◽  
Sean D. Connell ◽  
Nick T. Shears ◽  
Selena M McMillan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Iconic Images ◽  
Balance Of Forces ◽  
Almost All

Barren rocky seafloor landscapes, denuded of almost all life by ravenous sea urchins, liberated from their predators, stands as one of the iconic images of trophic cascades in Ecology. While this paradigm has been cited in nearly every temperate rocky reef ecosystem across the globe, there is widespread disagreement as to its generality. Given their biology, sea urchins are clearly one of the ocean’s strongest herbivores in many systems, but where will their impact be strongest? Here we perform a global meta-analysis of sea urchin-kelp relationships in the field. We find that sea urchins appear to be able to control kelp abundances in any system where they can achieve high densities. Furthermore, their ability to create large-scale long-lasting barrens appears to be limited to biogeographic regions where they can achieve high consumptive potential. Based on the literature, we outline a conceptual model that examines when and where sea urchins should be able to have a strong regulating impact on kelp forest ecosystems. We suggest that many elements of global change may shift the balance of forces regulating sea urchin consumptive potential in these ecosystems. Given their ability to have strong impacts on temperate rocky reefs, these drivers need to be considered in concert with their effect on sea urchins when attempting to predict future change to marine ecosystems.

scholarly journals The sea urchin – the ultimate herbivore and biogeographic variability in its ability to deforest kelp ecosystems

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarrett E Byrnes ◽  
Ladd E. Johnson ◽  
Sean D. Connell ◽  
Nick T. Shears ◽  
Selena M McMillan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Rocky Reef ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Iconic Images ◽  
Balance Of Forces ◽  
Almost All

Barren rocky seafloor landscapes, denuded of almost all life by ravenous sea urchins, liberated from their predators, stands as one of the iconic images of trophic cascades in Ecology. While this paradigm has been cited in nearly every temperate rocky reef ecosystem across the globe, there is widespread disagreement as to its generality. Given their biology, sea urchins are clearly one of the ocean’s strongest herbivores in many systems, but where will their impact be strongest? Here we perform a global meta-analysis of sea urchin-kelp relationships in the field. We find that sea urchins appear to be able to control kelp abundances in any system where they can achieve high densities. Furthermore, their ability to create large-scale long-lasting barrens appears to be limited to biogeographic regions where they can achieve high consumptive potential. Based on the literature, we outline a conceptual model that examines when and where sea urchins should be able to have a strong regulating impact on kelp forest ecosystems. We suggest that many elements of global change may shift the balance of forces regulating sea urchin consumptive potential in these ecosystems. Given their ability to have strong impacts on temperate rocky reefs, these drivers need to be considered in concert with their effect on sea urchins when attempting to predict future change to marine ecosystems.

scholarly journals Kelp forest habitat restoration has the potential to increase sea urchin gonad biomass

Ecosphere ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. art38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy T. Claisse ◽  
Jonathan P. Williams ◽  
Tom Ford ◽  
Daniel J. Pondella ◽  
Brian Meux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Forest Habitat

Sea Urchin Behavior in a Southern California Kelp Forest: Food, Fear, Behavioral Niches, and Scaling Up Individual Behavior

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Ed Parnell ◽  
James T. Fumo ◽  
Cleridy E. Lennert-Cody ◽  
Stephen C. Schroeter ◽  
Paul K. Dayton
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Scaling Up ◽  
Individual Behavior
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