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Sea Urchin Life Cycle

Sea Urchin Life Cycle

| slider | Jun. 5, 2018

Sea urchins spawn larvae that drift in ocean currents for several weeks before returning to the nearshore environment. Oceanographic models that estimate the direction and speed of ocean currents can both explain and predict the destination of larvae. We can use these models to explain the observed destinations of larvae determined by the wharf collections […]

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Urchin barrens

Urchin barrens

| slider | Mar. 9, 2018

When sea urchin populations are released from their natural controls, they scour temperate reefs of kelp and shift the state of the ecosystem to expansive “barrens” which lack kelp. Urchin barrens are considered to represent collapsed kelp forest communities and support fewer species than kelp forests. This is because kelp provides both food and habitat […]

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Kelp forests

Kelp forests

| slider | Mar. 9, 2018

When sea urchin populations are under control, kelp forests grow in abundance. Kelp forests are among the most productive ecosystems in the entire world. They provide important habitat and food for many species of both ecological and economic interest.

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