Temperature-Dependent Food Consumption Rates of the Sea Urchin and Top Shell : Potential Impacts on Seaweed Beds.

In Korea, the expansion of barren ground and a shift in macrograzer habitats due to increasing water temperatures associated with climate change are becoming increasingly problematic. This study assessed the potential effects of the sea urchin and top shell on seaweed beds by examining changes in their food consumption rates in response to changes in temperature. The food consumption rates of kelp () for both species were estimated at 5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C, 20 °C, and 25 °C in laboratory experiments. The rate for increased with increasing water temperature, with the highest rate of 0.001 g g d at 15 °C and 20 °C, and the lowest at 25 °C, which killed some individual sea urchins. The rate for also increased with increasing water temperature, with the highest being 0.087 g g d at 25 °C and the lowest being at 5 °C. had a higher food consumption rate than at all temperatures; as water temperature increased, the difference between species increased, with the largest difference occurring at 25 °C. These findings indicate that as water temperature increases, places greater feeding pressure on macroalgae than .