UF Research Shows a Step Toward Restoring Sea Urchins: ‘The Lawnmowers of Reefs’
Coral reef ecosystems are severely threatened by pollution, disease, overharvesting, and other factors. For thousands of years, long-spined sea urchins helped keep reefs intact. They eat seaweed, which can kill or seriously damage coral. Now with the urchin population diminishing, UF scientists are stepping up their efforts to enhance urchin populations.
