Sea otters homogenize mussel beds and reduce habitat provisioning in a rocky intertidal ecosystem.

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are keystone predators that consume a variety of benthic invertebrates, including the intertidal mussel, Mytilus californianus. By virtue of their competitive dominance, large size, and longevity, M. californianus are ecosystem engineers that form structurally complex bed...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gerald G Singh, Russell W Markel, Rebecca G Martone, Anne K Salomon, Christopher D G Harley, Kai M A Chan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2013-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3663835?pdf=render