Sea Otters In Monterey

Bay

By: Sorina Y.

What is the role of the sea otter in the kelp forest and how have humans impacted their
population in Monterey Bay?

Claim:
Sea Otters play a very important role in the kelp
forest since they are the Keystone Species in the
Kelp Forest, but humans are having a good and bad
effect on them too.

What is the role of the sea otter in the kelp forest and how have humans impacted their
population in Monterey Bay?
Claim: Sea Otters play a very important role in the kelp forest since they are the
Keystone Species, but humans are having a good and bad effect on them too.
Reasoning: Humans have been polluting
the Sea Otters ocean water in various
ways. They usually pollute the ocean with
trash and animal feces. Many of these
things affect their health in very bad
ways.

Evidence:The Sea Otters population stay

about the same which proves that
humans are polluting their ocean water.
They are polluting the ocean water by
throwing trash or disposing of trash in the
wrong way such as throwing a chip bag in
the ocean for a sea otter to choke on or
disposing of waste incorrectly. Agricultural
run off is another thing that is polluting
the otters ocean. The runoff creates a
deadly toxin that has killed many otters.

What is the role of the sea otter in the kelp forest and how have humans impacted their
population in Monterey Bay?
Claim: Sea Otters play a very important role in the kelp forest since they are the
Keystone Species, but humans are having a good and bad effect on them too.
Reasoning: Us humans are having a good
effect on them because of a group called
SORAC.

Evidence: SORAC helps Sea Otters by

caring for them. They care for sick or hurt
otters and nurse them back to health.
When they find a pup with no mother they
take it back and treat it, but most of the
otters never return home. They have to
rely on the skills passed down from their
mothers. If the otter is a pup they will
usually give it a surrogate mother, so they
can try to learn how to survive from a real
mother otter.

What is the role of the sea otter in the kelp forest and how have humans impacted their
population in Monterey Bay?
Claim: Sea Otters play a very important role in the kelp forest since they are the
Keystone Species, but humans are having a good and bad effect on them too.
Reasoning: Cyanobacteria is a toxic green
algae found in lakes, reservoirs, and
freshwater ponds. It finds its way through
agricultural runoff into the ocean killing
many otters.

Evidence: The discovery, reported in the

scientific journal PLoS ONE, is surprising
because the toxin called microcystin had
never been linked to the death of a
marine mammal and was not believed to
be capable of surviving for long times in
saltwater. The toxic algae that forms in
lakes and ponds were responsible for the
deaths of 21 threatened California sea
otters in Monterey Bay.

Paragraph:
Sea Otters play a very important role in the kelp forest since they are the Keystone
Species in the Kelp Forest, but humans are having a good and bad effect on them too.
Humans have been polluting the Sea Otters ocean water in various ways. They usually
pollute the ocean with trash and animal feces. Many of these things affect their health in
very bad ways. The Sea Otters population stays about the same which proves that
humans are polluting their ocean water. They are polluting the ocean water by throwing
trash or disposing of trash in the wrong way such as throwing a chip bag in the ocean for
a sea otter to choke on or disposing of waste incorrectly. Agricultural run off is another
thing that is polluting the otters ocean. The runoff creates a deadly toxin that has killed
many otters. Us humans are having a good effect on them because of a group called
SORAC. SORAC helps Sea Otters by caring for them. They care for sick or hurt otters and
nurse them back to health. When they find a pup with no mother they take it back and
treat it, but most of the otters never return home. They have to rely on the skills passed
down from their mothers. If the otter is a pup they will usually give it a surrogate
mother, so they can try to learn how to survive from a real mother otter. Cyanobacteria
is a toxic green algae found in lakes, reservoirs, and freshwater ponds. It finds its way
through agricultural runoff into the ocean killing many otters.

Paragraph Continuation
The discovery, reported in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, is surprising because the toxin
called microcystin had never been linked to the death of a marine mammal and was not
believed to be capable of surviving for long times in saltwater. The toxic algae that forms
in lakes and ponds were responsible for the deaths of 21 threatened California sea otters
in Monterey Bay.