Abstract
A comparison of western Aleutian Islands with and without sea otter populations shows that this species is important in determining littoral and sublittoral community structure. Sea otters control herbivorous invertebrate populations. Removal of sea otters causes increased herbivory and ultimately results in the destruction of macrophyte associations. The observations suggest that sea otter reestablishment indirectly affects island fauna associated with macrophyte primary productivity.
Keywords
OtterLittoral zoneMacrophyteMustelidaeHerbivoreInvertebrateFaunaEcologyGeographyBiologyFisheryOceanographyGeology
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Aleuts, Sea Otters, and Alternate Stable-State Communities
Reexamination of stratified faunal components of a prehistoric Aleut midden excavated on Amchitka Island, Alaska, indicates that Aleut prey items changed dramatically during 250...
The Ecology of Extinctions in Kelp Forest Communities
Abstract: We recognize three levels of extinction–global, local, and ecological – and provide examples of each. The protection and recovery of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) has pr...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1974
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 185
- Issue
- 4156
- Pages
- 1058-1060
- Citations
- 1159
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
1159
OpenAlex
Cite This
James A. Estes,
John F. Palmisano
(1974).
Sea Otters: Their Role in Structuring Nearshore Communities.
Science
, 185
(4156)
, 1058-1060.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4156.1058
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.185.4156.1058