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Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
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Trophic redundancy and predator size class structure drive differences in kelp forest ecosystem dynamics.

Jacob H Eisaguirre1,2, Joseph M Eisaguirre3,4, Kathryn Davis2

  • 1Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA.

Ecology
|February 1, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) protect kelp forests from ecosystem phase shifts. Diverse predators within MPAs suppress urchin populations, maintaining kelp abundance, unlike fished areas.

Keywords:
California sheepheadCalifornia spiny lobsterkelp forestlinear mixed effects modelsmanaging for resiliencephase shiftspredator guildssea star wasting diseasesize class structuresunflower sea startrophic redundancyurchin barrens

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Ecology
  • Conservation Biology
  • Ecosystem Resilience

Background:

  • Ecosystems face unprecedented change due to climate change and anthropogenic stressors.
  • Ecologists seek attributes that enhance ecosystem resilience and prevent phase shifts to less productive states.
  • Kelp forest ecosystems are vulnerable to phase shifts, particularly to urchin barrens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify mechanisms preventing kelp forest phase shifts to urchin barrens.
  • To investigate the role of predator assemblages in regulating purple urchin populations.
  • To compare ecosystem states inside and outside Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) following a sea star wasting disease outbreak.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the Northern Channel Islands kelp forest as a model system.
  • Compared pre- and post-disease predator assemblages to predict purple urchin densities.
  • Assessed the impact of remaining predator species on urchin and algal abundances within and outside MPAs.

Main Results:

  • The sunflower sea star previously suppressed purple urchin populations.
  • Following the loss of sunflower stars, remaining predators' abundance and size influenced ecosystem state.
  • Inside MPAs, diverse predators controlled urchin populations, promoting kelp growth.
  • Outside MPAs, overfished predators led to urchin proliferation and kelp decline.

Conclusions:

  • Trophic redundancy within MPAs enhances stability and prevents kelp forest phase shifts.
  • Managing predator guilds and maintaining biodiversity are crucial for ecosystem resilience.
  • Protected predator diversity is key to buffering kelp forests against disease and other stressors.