Sea urchins are prickly "hedgehogs of the sea" that exist in every ocean around the globe. You might have seen their spines peeking out of the water during low tide - or even stepped on one while ...

Despite their consumption of the largest urchins, the sea otters alone could not control urchin populations. Sunflower stars play an integral role in these kelp forest communities by preying upon ...

Urchin “barrens” are vast ... Sunflower stars are locally extinct due to a mysterious disease, and sea otters — a keystone species — haven’t returned to this part of the coast since ...

To save kelp forests, scientists try breeding sea stars To save kelp forests, scientists try breeding sea stars Massive marine die-off in Russia could threaten endangered sea otters, other ...

After centuries of overhunting by fur traders, sea otters have largely disappeared from the Oregon and Northern California ...

Urchins however are readily consumed by sea otters (keystone species), and by keeping urchin numbers low, otters assure that the kelp forest community remains intact. Bottom-up forces influence ...

Warming sea water has triggered an ... But even without these in place the Otter Force One can still be used by human divers to improve their urchin-gathering efficiency.