Sea otters restored to California estuary drive 600% eelgrass growth
Sea otters were reintroduced to Elkhorn Slough, a California estuary, in 1984 after pollution had severely degraded the local ecosystem. Their return set off a cascade of ecological changes throughout the food web. Over time, eelgrass beds in the slough expanded by an impressive 600%. A subsequent study also found that marsh-edge erosion decreased by an average of 69%, as the otters kept populations of root-eating crabs in check.
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