Ecosystem Effects of Sea Otters

The interplay between sea otters and coastal marine ecosystems is a key point of interest and concern surrounding the possible repatriation of sea otters in Oregon. This interplay has two distinct dimensions: 1) as effects of the ecosystem on otters, and 2) as effects of otters on the ecosystem. These classes of effects intersect broadly with the science of ecology, a discipline that is complex and often opaque to non-specialists. We thus begin this chapter with a short primer of ecology’s central concepts, goals, methods, and challenges (Box 5.1). The remainder of this chapter will consider the effects of sea otters on ecosystems. The effects of ecosystems on sea otters will be addressed elsewhere in this report (Chapter 6 on habitat suitability considerations and Chapter 10 on health and welfare considerations).