|
Type of influence | Variable in this study | Scale in this study | Rationale | Expected influence +/-/? | Sources |
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Oceanographic | Sea surface salinity | Island | Strongylocentrotus spp. have a generally low tolerance to low and highly variable salinities | — | [21, 22, 26, 28, 44, 46, 95] |
Sea surface temperature | Island | Temperature can influence the behaviour, reproduction, grazing, and growth of green sea urchins. Particularly important in large-scale climate studies | Mixed |
Sea surface current velocity | Island | Can influence patterns of sea urchin demographics by driving recruitment and local community structure | Mixed |
|
Bathymetric | Exposure | Site | Important local driver of sea urchin behaviour, size structure, and ecological function | Mixed | [15, 18–21, 29–31, 38, 44, 95, 96] |
Slope | Site | Slope will shape patterns of sea urchin behaviour in response to perturbation across depth ranges | + |
Slope variability | Site | Variability in slope can serve as a measure of complexity of local habitat, influencing sea urchin behavioural responses to perturbations across depth ranges | + |
Depth | Site | Depth will shape patterns of sea urchin behaviour and ecological function | Mixed |
Depth variability | Site | Variability in depth can serve as a measure of the complexity of the local habitat, influencing sea urchin behaviour and ecological function | + |
Shallow habitat | Site | The amount of shallow habitat within the foraging depths of sea otters and also in the ideal depth range for macroalgal production | + |
Deep habitat | Site | The amount of deep water inaccessible to sea otters that could serve as a deep water refugia | + |
Amount of shelf habitat | Site | The amount of habitat on the continental shelf (0-200 m water depth) | + |
|
Geophysical | Shape | Island | Can influence local currents, weather patterns, and degree of coastal vs. oceanic influence. Geophysical structure of the shoreline can influence other environmental forces | ? | [27, 96] |
Mean elevation | Island | ? |
|