Ecology

Organisms that live in the marine coastal areas.

Califnoria Spiny lobster

Unique Invertebrate

Panulirus interruptus

K= Animalia

P= Arthropoda SP= Crustacea

C= Malacostraca

O= Decapoda SO= Pleocyemata IO= Achelata

F= Palinuridae Latreille

G= Panulirus White

S= Panulirus interrupts

No, they are actually classed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.

Lacks a backbone. Sea Otters love to eat them. Defend itself with a loud noise produced by it's antennae.

Giant Kelp

Protist

Macrocystis Pyrifera

K= Eukaryota Thallophyta

P= Gyrista SP= Ochrophytina

C= Phaeophycease

O= Laminariales

F= Laminariacease

G= Macrocystis C. Agardh

S= Macrocystis pyritera

Even thought rapid growth rates help kelp recover quickly, kelp forests are still threatened by multiple sources. Marine grazers can consume enough kelp to remove entire forest.

"Underwater towers" of kelp provide food and shelter for thousands of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammal species.

eelgrass

Plant

Zostera marina

K= Plantae SK= Viridiplantae IK= Streptophyta

P= Anthophyta

C= Magnoliopsida

O= Alismatales SO= Lilianae

F= Zosteracease

G= Zostera L.

S= Zostera marina

Many people are unaware of the importance this plant plays in marine environment. As a result, there has been significant degradation of eelgrass, mostly due to human impacts such as urban development, dredging, pollution, and sediment runoff from upland areas. Not extinct.

Just like kelp, eelgrass is important part as it provides shelter to young fish and invertebrates, food for migratory waterfowl and sea turtles, spawning surfaces for species such as the Pacific herring, and foraging areas.

American Mink

Mammal

Neogale vison

K= Animalia

P= Chordata

C= Mammalia

O= Carnivora

F= Mustelidae

G= Neogale

S= Neogale vison

No, they are a least concern, population is stable.

They resemble the sea otter, but sea otters are much bigger at 4ft long and minks are only 2ft long.

Seagull

Bird

Larus californicus

K= Animalia SK= Bilateria IK= Deuterostomia

P= Chordata SP= Vertebrata

C= Aves SuperC= Tetrapoda

O= Charadriiforms

F= Laridae

G= Larus Linnaeus

S= Larus californicus

Seagulls are protected under the Migratory Bird Act as a means of protecting their population numbers from threat of decline. Not extinct.

They are intelligent, adaptable, and often beautiful birds.

Sea urchins

Invertebrate

Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

K= Animalia SK= Bilateria IK= Deuterostomia

P= Echinodermata SP= Echinozoa

C= Echinoidea SC= Euechinoidea

O= Echinoida SuperO= Echinacea

F= Strongylocentrotdae

G= Strongylocentrotus

S= Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

Sea Urchins are not extinct, but they are near threatened sea creatures, because of our winning oceans along with overfishing.

About 950 species of sea urchins live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from seashore down to over 3 miles.

Scouler's Surfgrass

Plant

Phyllospadix scouleri

K= Plantae SK= Viridiplantae IK= Streptophyta

P= Tracheophyta

C= Magnoliopsida

O= Alismatales SO= Lilianae

F= Zosteracease

G= Phyllospadix Hook

S= Phyllospadix scouleri

Scouler's Surfgrass has a stable population and is a low concern for endangered or threatened.

Grows on rocks in low tide/seashore zones. It is a flowering marine plant. Pollen gets spread by water movement.

Dungeness crab

Food/Crustacean

Metacaranus magister

K= Animalia SK= Bilateria IK= Protostomia

P= Arthropoda SP= Crustacea SuperP= Ecdysozoa

C= Malacostraca SC= Ecumalacostraca

O= Deapoda SO= Pleocyemata IO= Brachyura

F= Cancridge SuperF= Cancridae

G= Metacarcinus

S= Metacarcinus magister

The Dungeness Crab has either remained stable or continued to increase.

They inhabit in eelgrass beds and water beds. They are a popular seafood. The name comes from Dungeness Spit, US; which shelters a shallow bay inhabited by the crabs.

Pismo clam

Animal

Tivela stultorum

K= Animalia SK= Bilateria IK= Protostomia

P= Mollusca SuperP= Lophozoa

C= Bivalvia SC= Heterodonta

O= Veneroida

F= Veneridae SuperF= Veneroidea

G= Tivela

S= Tivela stultorum

Even thought they were once thought to be extinct, the pismo clam are back in numbers that may be in the millions. Not considered to be threatened or endangered.

They are a large, edible, saltwater clam. Native to the Pacific Ocean and got their name from living in Pismo Beach, California.

northern sea otter

Mammal

Enhydra lutris kenyoni

K= Animalia SK= Bilateria IK= Deuterostomia

P= Chordata SP= Vertabrata IP= Gnathostomata

C= Mammalia SuperC= Tetrapoda SC= Theria IC= Eutheria

O= Carnivora SO= Caniformia

F= Mustelidae SF= Lutrinae

G= Enhydra

S= Enhydra lutris SS= Enhydra lutris kenyoni

While the Southern Sea Otter is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Northern Sea Otters are considered stable, especially within the state of Alaska, the southwest and southcentral.

Part of the weasel family. They are the smallest of marine mammals and are excellently suited to their marine environment with adapations in their skeletons, teeth, and fur.

INTERACTIONS

1.) Seals - non prey/don't prey on sea otters. They just live amongst seals. While they look similar in ways, they are not related. They are both marine mammals though.

2.) Bald Eagle - prey on sea otters, especially the pups. The pups are an important source of food. Unfortunately they depend on nearshore marine communities for most of their prey. They live in environments such as estuaries, large lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and some seacoasts.

3.) Great White Shark - prey on sea otters by mistake most of the time. When the shark gets hungry, they will do an investigative bite, but they tend to recoil when they get a mouth full of fur. They go after sea otters because they look like seals/sea lions. They live in nearshore coastal waters and offshore pelagic waters.

Ecological niche

Sea Otters play a big role in their ecosystem by controlling herbivorous invertebrates. They prey on sea urchins, preventing them from overgrazing the kelp forests, which supports marine diversity.

As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments, and estuaries.

Northern Sea otter. Marine Mammal Commission. (2023, January 30). Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/northern-sea-otters/

Ocean and coastline. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/habitats/ocean-coastline#:~:text=This%20world%20of%20seabirds%2C%20clams,different%20types%20of%20natural%20communities.

Montereybayaquarium.org. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2023, from https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/habitats/coastal-waters

Sea otter. Sea Otter - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2023, from https://animalia.bio/sea-otter#:~:text=Ecological%20niche,kelp%2C%20which%20supports%20marine%20diversity.

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