Sea Otters Are Saving California’s Intact Kelp Forests Amid Invading "Zombie" Urchins
The decline of kelp timberland does n’t get the same attention as the expiration of coral reefs or rainforests , but could be almost as important . Otters serve as the guardians of these lively ecosystem , redeem them from being pass over out by ocean urchin plagues , but maritime biologists have been puzzled why these defenses sometimes fail . Now they think otter ' preference for prey with bountiful crotch is decisive ....