Sea urchins are important ecosystem engineers in subtidal ecosystems worldwide, providing biogenic structure and altering nutrient dynamics through intensive grazing and drift algal capture. The current work evaluates red urchin (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus) density on fixed transects through time, individual displacement, and urchin-associated benthic community composition using a field-based approach at multiple depths (in and outside of the macroalgal zone) and replicated across sites in the San Juan Archipelago, Washington.
Lowe, A. T., Whippo, R., Galloway, A. W. E., Britton-Simmons, K. H. and Dethier, M. N. (2014), Sedentary urchins influence benthic community composition below the macroalgal zone. Marine Ecology. doi: 10.1111/maec.12124
Winder Lab 