Sea otters are critical players in marine ecosystems and are a keystone species, meaning they have a profound effect on their ...

A photographer shares the epiphanies she has had while chronicling underwater jungles off the California coast ...

A devastating sea star plague triggered an unexpected ecological shift, creating a mussel boom that sea otters turned into a ...

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange ...

These underwater forests also provide food and shelter to a rich array of marine species, from anemones and abalone to sea otters and giant sea bass. But huge swaths of kelp forest along the ...

Sea otters “are referred to as gardeners of the kelp forests, and other theoretical ecologists would add ‘engineers,’” he says. “I’ll add ‘wizards.’” Sea otters help keep kelp ...

At time when ocean reserve protections are threatened, new research shows bans on fishing made kelp ecosystems more resilient ...

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...