Sea Urchins Are Munching Kelp for Survival That Causes Ecological Imbalance

Purple sea urchins are devouring California's kelp forests at a rate and size that has scientists, fishermen, and divers equally baffled. However, red and purple urchins have long lived in kelp forests, indicating that the three species may coexist. UC Santa Barbara researchers wanted to know what causes disrupted this equilibrium. A new study conducted by the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) discovered that a dramatic outbreak of kelp-eating sea urchins along California's Central Coast in 2014, which resulted in a significant reduction in the region's kelp forests.