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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 sea otter is an important predator of sea urchins, making it a keystone species for the kelp forests. Sea otters protect kelp forests from damage by sea urchins. 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 ...
Sea otters are significant predators of the northern kelp crab within kelp forests. As pelagic larvae they are eaten by Velella velella or the by-the-wind sailor. [4] The northern kelp crab can be parasitized by Heterosaccus californicus (rhizocephalan sacculinid barnacle) which exhibits a brown mass extending from the crab's underbelly.
When fleeing a predator on a sloping substrate or while crawling on kelp, a Norrisia norrisii may simply detach itself and roll or fall away from the predator. If detached from a giant kelp or other stipitate alga, Norrisia norrisii will quickly crawl towards another kelp upon reaching the bottom.
As a large temperate wrasse, it is a predator of sea urchins and other benthic invertebrates and play a critical role in also regulating prey populations in kelp forests. [17] Since it feeds heavily on urchins, it is consequently an important species for indirectly regulating kelp growth in southern California's coastal waters. [13]
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.
Juveniles stay in the kelp forest to protect themselves from predators. As they mature, they venture father into the open ocean. [10] They grow an average of 0.59 millimeters per day for the first 90 days of their lives. [13] Most of the kelp bass's growth takes place during the first few years of life, but they have indeterminate growth. [10]
Kelletia kelletii, common name Kellet's whelk, is a species of large sea snail, a whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the whelk family Austrosiphonidae. [3] [4] [5] [6]Kelletia kelletii is a large scavenger [5] [7] and predatory sea snail commonly found in subtidal kelp forests, rocky reefs, and cobble-sand interfaces at depths ranging from 2 to 70 m from Isla Asunción, Baja California ...