Urchin barren

Shallow ocean area with destructive grazing of kelp forests

An urchin barren is commonly defined as an urchin-dominated area with little or no kelp. Urchin grazing pressure on kelp is a direct and observable cause of a "barren" area. However, determining which factors contribute to shifting a kelp bed to an urchin barren is a complex problem and remains a matter of debate among scientists.

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