Sea otter return boosts ailing seagrass in California
Source: BBC
26 August 2013 Last updated at 18:40 GMT
Sea otter return boosts ailing seagrass in California
By Suzi Gage
BBC News
The return of sea otters to an estuary on the central Californian coast has significantly improved the health of seagrass, new research has found.
Seagrass was deemed to be heading for extinction in this region before the otters returned.
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They theorised that sea otters were eating the crabs which prey upon small invertebrates in the water.
These invertebrates eat a type of algae which blooms when there are more nutrients in the soil. It grows on the leaves of the seagrass, shading them from sunlight and causing them to die back.
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Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23814524
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This highlights the cascading effects of removing a part of the chain. Points out the chaotic nature of the environment. 
--imm