Figure 3. Mortality of sea stars, and subsequent change in urchin abundance and kelp cover after sea star mortality.

Mean abundance (per m²) of (A) sunflower stars and (B) green sea urchins, and (C) percent cover of kelp on rocky reefs in Howe Sound, British Columbia, on 80 transects before and after the mass mortality of sea stars in 2013. Error bars represent standard error. The dominant kelp was the sea colander kelp, Agarum fimbriatum.