When kelp dies and washes ashore, carbon returns to the atmosphere during decomposition. Their dense coat is one of two primary adaptations to maintain internal body temperature. The rate of oxygen flow offers an indirect measurement of cells heat production. In 2017 his team resurveyed the reefs status across the Aleutian archipelago and discovered that some had shrunk precipitously in just three years. Overall, indirect effects of temperature via changes in viscosity were subtle in comparison to the indirect effect of temperature via trophic interactions. Everything we know about ecology is that as things get more complex, they change, Rudolf says. Before Sea otters can greatly affect the environment they live in. Staff login, Expand Climate Minor Testing Page Section. sea otter, (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, completely marine otter species of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. But owners were still stressed and lonely. If you liked this story,sign up for the weeklybbc.comfeatures newsletter, called "The Essential List". The content is provided for information purposes only. At 2012 prices (US$47 per ton of C . Sea otters secret to staying warm isnt in thick stores of blubber. Its in their muscles. Finding the cellular source of sea otters souped-up metabolism could help scientists better understand how other marine mammals cope with frigid water. The voracious echinoderms not only mowed down the kelp but are also tearing apart and devouring the massive, slow-forming limestone reefs on which this seaweed grows, Rasher and his colleagues recently reported in Science. When sea otters are lost from an ecosystem, sea urchin numbers spike. You will be directed to the following website in 5 seconds: We hope your visit was informative and enjoyable. The study discovered that sea otters contribute indirectly to the prevention of agricultural runoff. From the moment Berings men returned home to Russia with sea otter pelts, the species was in mortal danger. Female sea otters give birth in water to only one young at a time, and the young remains dependent on the mother until six to eight months of age. Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. According to this explanation, by defending macroalgae (like kelp) from herbivores that attacked its living parts, sea otters allowed the macroalgae to relax its chemical defenses, making the pieces that drifted down to waiting herbivores higher quality food. In the mid-1980s, the two islands with high-density otter populations supported dense kelp forests, relatively few urchins, and abundant rock greenling whereas the opposite pattern (abundant urchins, sparse kelp forests, and relatively few rock greenling) occurred at islands where otters were rare. Our results provide further evidence of the wide-ranging indirect effects of sea otter predation on nearshore marine communities and another apex predator, the Bald Eagle. But otters extreme metabolism helps them stay cozy in the waves. Amy Olsen is a second-year masters student of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and completed this capstone project for the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science.