What are echinoderms good for? A lot according to the Echinoblog
Many echinoderm species are strong ecological interactors as predators or major grazers in their ecosystems. We can learn the importance of their interactions when things go wrong. This happened in 2014 when a marine heat wave hit the west coast of North America, and the kelp forests got out of balance. Here is another article about urchin barrens. The interaction between kelp, urchins, and sea otters is a complicated one with nuance. Here is another article.
Certain species of echinoderms have broad-scale effects on entire coral reef communities, more so than any other particular species of invertebrate or fish. The echinoderms with the most influence in coral reef communities are generalists, adaptable to a variety of situations, with behavioral, distributional, and dietary adaptability. Here is a summary of an article about The Role of Echinoderms in Coral Reef Communities.
Ochre stars are considered to be “keystone species.” Read about the ecological concept of keystone species in this essay by John Pearse. Ecologists consider some sea stars that were affected by the wasting syndrome (the sunflower and ochre stars) to be keystone species because they have a disproportionately large influence on other species in their ecosystem. “The long-term monitoring of the wasting syndrome, including population estimates prior to the syndrome, in combination with biodiversity surveys, will allow scientists to interpret changes to communities that might result from severe population declines of the ochre star and total elimination of the sunflower star. This information will hopefully allow scientists to determine the sea stars’ ecological role.
Sea cucumber poop is very important to the ecosystems where they live. As deposit feeders, cucumbers eat the sediment releasing nutrients. Read about it in The Echinoblog. This recycling is especially important for coral reefs.
