Sea Otter
Coletti H. 2011. Sea Otter
Sea otters are a species that can dramatically affect the structure and complexity of their environment. Sea otters prey on sea urchins that feed on kelps resulting in top-down cascading effects on the nearshore community structure. Heavy predation on sea urchins greatly alters the abundance and composition of lower trophic levels. Sea otters also tend to have smaller home ranges in comparison to other marine mammal, require high caloric intake, have an incidence of disease that is correlated with contaminants, which make them a prime species for monitoring.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Coletti, Heather
- Date of Issue
- 2011-10
- Units
- KATM , KEFJ , SWAN
- Keywords
- Marine Environment, Sea Otter
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Marine Communities