The Kelp Forest Ecosystem CER

A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem. Each living thing in an

ecosystem is part of multiple food chains. Each food chain is one possible path
that energy and nutrients may take as they move through the ecosystem. All of the
interconnected and overlapping food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web.
The kelp forest ecosystem is made up of thousands of amazing living as well as non-living
components. Each component plays a special role in the food web. Despite its name, a food
web isn’t just about who eats who; it includes all of the flows of energy between everything in
the ecosystem, both the organisms and their environment. This includes the sun, providing
energy for photosynthesizing organisms; the consumption of one creature by another; and the
waste that results from this consumption.
You can categorize the components of the food web based on their role within the ecosystem:
∙ Producers are plants or algae like kelp that get their energy from the sun through a process
called photosynthesis.
∙ Consumers are animals that eat producers, other consumers, or both. Like sea urchins and
kelp crab. These organisms are primary consumers which get their energy from eating kelp.
Horn sharks and sea otters are considered secondary consumers, since they eat the sea urchins
and kelp crab. Elephant seals are considered tertiary consumers.
∙ Decomposers are animals, bacteria, or fungi, that break down, or decompose waste matter
(detritus, decaying bodies, or poop), returning/recycling nutrients back into the system.
Sometimes a specific component falls into more than one category (i.e. a Kelp Crab functions as
both a Consumer and a Decomposer).
Energy flows between producers, consumers, and decomposers throughout the kelp forest
food web create interdependent relationships among the key components. If just one species
has a change in its population (either an increase or decrease) or disappears, it can affect
hundreds of other organisms. Eventually, if enough changes occur, it can result in a
reorganization of the entire food web and ecosystem.

In any arrangement or community, the “keystone” is considered one of the most vital parts. In a
marine ecosystem, or any type of ecosystem, a keystone species is an organism that helps hold
the system together. Without its keystone species, ecosystems would look very different. Some
ecosystems might not be able to adapt to environmental changes if their keystone species
disappeared. That could spell the end of the ecosystem, or it could allow an invasive species to
take over and dramatically shift the ecosystem in a new direction.
Sea otters are keystone predators that maintain the dense, productive forests of kelp in coastal
Alaska. Kelp forests are habitat for many invertebrates that are food for over 20 species of fish;
these forests also provide spawning habitat for herring and Atka mackerel as well as nursery
areas for salmon fry. Many birds, such as sea ducks, use them for resting and feeding. The
forests of giant algal fronds protect the coastline from severe wave action and, like our land-
based forests, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce global warming.

Like the keystone in an arch, sea otters control the structure and composition of the rest of the
system. When sea otters are removed from the ecosystem the urchin populations grow
dramatically and demolish the kelp forests. Loss of the physical structure brings loss of habitat
and food for numerous other species that use the kelp

The major threat to these rich kelp forests is grazing by sea urchins, which can decimate the
forest and prevent regrowth of the fronds. Sea otters are the main predator of sea urchins and
keep the urchin population in check. Sea urchins greedily graze on kelp when otters are not
around, but in the presence of the predators, urchins hide in crevices and eat just the plant
scraps. Loss of sea otters therefore can have a huge impact on our coastal ecosystems. By
eating sea urchins, sea otters maintain the density of kelp on our coastlines.
Big Question: What would happen to the Kelp forest food web if the sea otters (keystone
species) were to be removed from the ecosystem?

Write your claim below. You only need 1 sentence to make a claim

Claim: Without the sea ottters the keystone species and everything will fall apart

Using the information in the article, write down at least three pieces of evidence about sea
otters and the kelp forest ecosystem that support your claim. Support your evidence by using
quotations or facts from the article on the kelp forest ecosystem

Evidence ‘Sea otters are keystone predators that maintain the dense, productive forests of
kelp in coastal Alaska. Kelp forests are habitat for many invertebrates that are food for over 20
species of fish; these forests also provide spawning habitat for herring and Atka mackerel as
well as nursery areas for salmon fry. Many birds, such as sea ducks, use them for resting and
feeding. The forests of giant algal fronds protect the coastline from severe wave action and, like
our land-based forests, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce global
warming.

Like the keystone in an arch, sea otters control the structure and composition of the rest of the
system. When sea otters are removed from the ecosystem the urchin populations grow
dramatically and demolish the kelp forests. Loss of the physical structure brings loss of habitat
and food for numerous other species that use the kelp’ This statement from the article is saying
without the sea otter nothing would be the same and that they are needed to keep the
keystone species intact .

Reasoning: Fill in the gaps! Include your thoughts along with what your evidence
states to support your claim. Explain how your evidence supports your claim.

Complete the Reasoning section BEFORE writing the Conclusion paragraph.

1. Restate your claim:

Without the sea ottters the keystone species and everything will fall apart
2. Provide scientific knowledge to support your claim. (What previous knowledge
do you have or know about sea otters or the kelp forest ecosystem?)
I know that without the sea otters everything would fail because are a big role in
the ecosystem

3. Restate your evidence with factual information to help support your claim
‘Sea otters are keystone predators that maintain the dense, productive forests of kelp in coastal
Alaska. Kelp forests are habitat for many invertebrates that are food for over 20 species of fish;
these forests also provide spawning habitat for herring and Atka mackerel as well as nursery
areas for salmon fry. Many birds, such as sea ducks, use them for resting and feeding. The
forests of giant algal fronds protect the coastline from severe wave action and, like our land-
based forests, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce global warming.

Like the keystone in an arch, sea otters control the structure and composition of the rest of the
system. When sea otters are removed from the ecosystem the urchin populations grow
dramatically and demolish the kelp forests. Loss of the physical structure brings loss of habitat
and food for numerous other species that use the kelp’ This statement from the article is saying
without the sea otter nothing would be the same and that they are needed to keep the
keystone species intact .

4. Wrap up your reasoning with a conclusion sentence – start with therefore, in

conclusion etc…

Now rewrite your reasoning into 1 paragraph with at least 4 sentences. You can
copy what you have written in the reasoning boxes here. Make it flow as a
paragraph. Without the sea otters the keystone species and everything will fall
apart. ‘Sea otters are keystone predators that maintain the dense, productive forests of kelp in
coastal Alaska. Kelp forests are habitat for many invertebrates that are food for over 20 species
of fish; these forests also provide spawning habitat for herring and Atka mackerel as well as
nursery areas for salmon fry. Many birds, such as sea ducks, use them for resting and feeding.
The forests of giant algal fronds protect the coastline from severe wave action and, like our
land-based forests, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce global
warming.

Like the keystone in an arch, sea otters control the structure and composition of the rest of the
system. When sea otters are removed from the ecosystem the urchin populations grow
dramatically and demolish the kelp forests. Loss of the physical structure brings loss of habitat
and food for numerous other species that use the kelp’ This statement from the article is saying
without the sea otter nothing would be the same and that they are needed to keep the
keystone species intact . Therefore without the sea otters in the ecosystem everything would
fail .