Otters, Urchins, Kelp, Oh my

Methods

Summary

1. Grow kelp in kelp infirmary and keep record of growth rate.
2. Measure the CO2 storage in kelp tissues from different areas of the kelp (i.e. the blades, the stipe, the top, the bottom).*
3. Measure the CO2 storage of the kelp every hour to monitor the rate at which kelp takes in CO2.*
4. Place an otter in the experimental tank with the an excess of urchins and measure the rate at which the otters eat the urchins (repeat trials, additional trials with other foods offered to sea otters to see if that changes the rate). Measure CO2 uptake in kelp after x amount of time.*
5. Place an otter in the experimental tank without urchins or other major kelp predators. Measure CO2 uptake in kelp after x amount of time.*
6. Compare the data from steps 4 and 5 to determine if sea otters have a direct or indirect or no effect on CO2 uptake in kelp.

*We will use gas chromatography to measure CO2 levels in the kelp.