EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries.

Detailed explanation-2: -The sea otter functions as a keystone species in the environment through its role as a top predator in the nearshore marine ecosystem. Sea urchins are a favorite food of the sea otter if they are locally abundant.

Detailed explanation-3: -Sea otters are a “keystone species” which means that they can exert top-down pressure via predation on sea urchins, which are grazers upon kelp. As urchin density decreases from sea otter predation, so does the grazing pressure on kelp and as a result kelp forests flourish in the presence of sea otters.

Detailed explanation-4: -A keystone species is an organism that helps define an entire ecosystem. By keeping populations of mussels and barnacles in check, this sea star helps ensure healthy populations of seaweeds and the communities that feed on them-sea urchins, sea snails, limpets, and bivalves.

Detailed explanation-5: -What Effect Do Keystones Have on an Ecosystem? Keystone species maintain the local biodiversity of an ecosystem, influencing the abundance and type of other species in a habitat. They are nearly always a critical component of the local food web.