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In Alaskan kelp forest ecosystems, sea otters are the keystone species that mediates this trophic cascade. In Southern California, kelp forests persist without sea otters and the control of herbivorous urchins is instead mediated by a suite of predators including lobsters and large fishes, such as the California sheephead.
The Giant kelp marine forests of south east Australia is a community extending from the ocean floor to the ocean surface, on a rocky substrate, and has a ‘forest-like’ structure with many organisms occupying its various layers, including pelagic and demersal fishes, sea birds, turtles and marine mammals in addition to the invertebrate ...
Kelp forests are also some of the world's largest carbon sinks, and the Great Southern Reef therefore acts as a buffer against climate change. [7] Unfortunately, an estimated 95% of the giant kelp forests off the coast of Tasmania have died off over the past few decades due higher water temperatures and the long-spined sea urchin. [6] [8]
“Kelp forms whole forests that are supporting so many other species and so it just has this cascading effect on the near-shore ecosystem when you lose your kelp,” Elsmore said. “You’re ...
The islands also house many rare and endangered plants, including the island barberry, the island rushrose, and the Santa Cruz Island lace pod. Giant kelp forests surround the islands and act as a source of nutrition and protection for other animals. [2]
Ecological habitats found in the sanctuary include extensive kelp forests, rocky reefs, deep-water coral gardens, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, and wetlands, the latter serving as nursery grounds for numerous commercial fish species and important habitats for many threatened and endangered species. [4] [7] [8]
A potential threat that may arise is loss of habitat due to climate change and its resulting consequences such as ocean acidification and pollution, as well as destruction and/or massive die-offs of kelp forests. This poses a threat because this species depends on dense canopies of kelp for protection from predators and for reproduction.
The sea stars are considered “functionally extinct” in California and Oregon.