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Sea urchins and kelp: The effects of short term changes in urchin diet 1
Author(s) -
Duggins David O.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1981.26.2.0391
Subject(s) - kelp , benthic zone , sea urchin , kelp forest , strongylocentrotus droebachiensis , bay , oceanography , pelagic zone , biology , fishery , echinoderm , abundance (ecology) , algae , ecology , environmental science , geology
Sea urchins structure benthic algal associations in many shallow subtidal communities. The kelps increased in abundance in 1978 at Torch Bay, Alaska, when Strongy‐locentrotus spp. fed upon an unusually plentiful supply of benthic diatoms and pelagic salps, reaching a safe size as a result of a temporary interruption in the normal feeding patterns of the sea urchins.