Photos of our study area highlight the pronounced expansion of mussels towards lower intertidal zones (A and B are from Stillwater Cove), which increased mussel accessibility for foraging sea otters. (7/8)

This figure shows it all – under alternate hypothetical scenarios where urchins and mussels didn't increase, sea otter energy intake for the local population would have been much lower than what we actually observed. Mussels and urchins both contributed to elevated levels of energetic gain. (6/8)

Around the timing of the sea star wasting event (SSW), there was a sudden urchin boom resulting from a behavioral shift (which we previously described) in the subtidal. The mussel increase lagged by ~2-3 years, probably due to the time for mussels to recruit, survive, and grow. (5/8)

Mussel populations expanded throughout the rocky intertidal after (red) the loss of Pisaster and extended into lower tidal zones, increasing their accessibility for foraging sea otters. (4/8)

In Monterey, CA mussel populations surged due to predatory release from sea stars, creating a prey surplus for sea otters. (3/8)

In 2013, a sea star wasting event decimated populations of Pisaster ochraceus along the west coast of North America, leading to indirect effects on sea otters. (2/8)

I’m ✨ elated ✨ to share that I’ll be joining the faculty at UC Santa Cruz this fall as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology! My lab at UCSC will study subtidal and nearshore community ecology (1/2).

We are now accepting applications for our paid 2025 kelp forest scientific diving #internships at @montereyaq.bsky.social! 🤿 Must be a current student or recent grad (grad students are eligible!). Apply at the link below by February 7 recruiting2.ultipro.com/MON1023MBAF/...

#kelpforest #ecology

👉Conservation performance significantly increased with increasing MPA age and habitat diversity. (4/5)

👉Targeted fish species biomass was significantly higher in 22 out of 59 MPAs (37%), although 46 (78%) had elevated biomass in MPAs. (3/5)

👉At the scale of California's MPA network, targeted (i.e., fished) fish biomass was significantly greater inside no-take MPAs compared with areas that allowed take.
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👉Three out of 4 regions exhibited significantly higher targeted fish biomass inside no-take MPAs. (2/5)

Our study published today in @society4conbio.bsky.social shows that the conservation performance of marine protected areas (MPAs) accrues across ecosystems in individual MPAs and in a large MPA network. We synthesized decades of monitoring data collected across four ecosystems and found... (1/5)