A research team including a scientist from Oregon State University has provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America’s Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.
A research team including a scientist from Oregon State University has provided the first experimental evidence that a species of endangered sea star protects kelp forests along North America’s Pacific Coast by preying on substantial numbers of kelp-eating urchins.
The study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, are important because kelp, large algae with massive ecological and economic importance around the world, are under siege from environmental change and overgrazing by sea urchins.
The findings by a collaboration that also featured scientists from the University of Oregon and The Nature Conservancy suggest that the sunflower sea star likely plays a much stronger role in kelp forest health than had been previously thought.
Lab experiments showed that sea stars, known scientifically as Pycnopodia helianthoides, consume urchins at rates sufficient to maintain and perhaps reset the health of kelp forests. The authors are calling for active management and a coordinated sunflower sea star recovery.
Read more at Oregon State University
Image: Sunflower sea star, photo by Janna Nichols
