Otters protecting the Kelp Forest

Researchers in Santa Cruz have discovered the big population of sea otters eating sea urchins which then you see the sea urchins eat the kelp and with the sea urchins being eaten there is more kelp to grow which absorbs 12 times the amount CO2 (carbon dioxide). As scientist Wilmers said, ‘The animals can have a big influence on the carbon cycle.’ The sea otters have a big affect when they are out and around the sea urchins are hiding and eating little bits of kelp scrap but when the otters are not there they graze a lot on the living kelp. Carbon dioxide has increased 40 % ever since the industrial revolution, which causes global warming. Scientist Wilmers and Estes say ‘that spreading the otter population will not do anything but just managing the populations can affect ecosystems.’ Because you see many animals in the world all work differently so they all impact the carbon cycle.  If ecologists can get a better handle on it then it could be good for both ways, animals can be protected, can both eat and carbon could still be absorbed. And that could be hard because there is no easy solution. So the otters are protecting their kelp forest.

 In my opinion this is cool because I never would have thought that only humans would have effected the carbon cycle with their fuels and gases creating global warming, where as animals like sea otters can help take out some of the carbon dioxide. 

Bibliography

"How Sea Otters Can Reduce CO2 in the Atmosphere: Appetite for Sea Urchins Allows Kelp to Thrive." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 07 Sept. 2012. Web. 09 Sept. 2012. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120907161437.htm>.