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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 Cook Inlet population is found in the inlet and Shelikof Strait region, and numbers approximately 400 to 500 animals. The larger Bering Sea population ranges throughout the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas; this group comprises perhaps 25,000 animals. Alaska natives harvest small numbers of belugas for food and oil. [56] Gray whale
Kelp may develop dense forests with high production, [27] [28] biodiversity and ecological function. Along the Norwegian coast these forests cover 5,800 km 2, [29] and they support large numbers of animals.
The Alaskan subspecies of moose (Alces alces gigas) is the largest in the world; adult males weigh 1,200 to 1,600 pounds (542–725 kg), and adult females weigh 800 to 1,300 pounds (364–591 kg) [17] Alaska's substantial moose population is controlled by predators such as bears and wolves, which prey mainly on vulnerable calves, as well as by ...
Sea urchins graze on the lower stems of kelp, causing the kelp to drift away and die. Loss of the habitat and nutrients provided by kelp forests leads to profound cascade effects on the marine ecosystem. North Pacific areas that do not have sea otters often turn into urchin barrens, with abundant sea urchins and no kelp forest. [76]
The region is strongly influenced by the large mountain ranges stretching throughout most of the coast. Changes in elevation cause changes in plant/animal diversity, this can be exemplified through observing the alpine tundra's vegetation which consists of shrubs, herbs, mosses, and lichens; while lower elevations, the temperate coastal forest hold magnificently large trees such as western ...
Kelp greenlings 21 or 22 spines in their first dorsal fin and 24 soft rays in their second dorsal fin while the anal fin contains a single spine and 23 or 24 soft rays. [2] The males are gray to brownish olive in color, dotted with irregular blue spots over the anterior half to two-thirds of their body.
Its fast growth and size provide an important habitat not only for the fish and invertebrates that reside in kelp forests, but also for species that use kelp forests as foraging grounds. [15] In bull kelp forests, kelp crabs are important grazers that control the ecosystem by feeding on large canopy kelps such as Nereocystis .