News Ecosystems

Top-Down Lowdown: Predators shape coastal ecosystem

By Aimee Cunningham

- More than 2 years ago

The health of southern California kelp forests may depend more on the ecosystem’s predator population than on the forest’s access to nutrients, researchers report. The finding suggests that fishing practices have a profound impact on these ecosystems.

IN CHARGE. The populations of predators, such as Kellet’s whelk (left inset) and kelp rockfish (right inset) in the seaweed forests of the Channel Islands seem to have a stronger impact on the health of the ecosystem than nutrient availability does.