Sea stars
This reading profile brings together 4 source-linked articles that reference sea stars.
Explore Fauna’s source-checked field guides and research articles covering sea stars, or search the species catalog below for individual species profiles.Source-linked reading
- Field guideHow sea stars regrow armsSea-star regeneration is slow coordinated reconstruction, not a detached limb simply stretching back. Wound closure is followed by cell migration, proliferation, patterning, and the rebuilding of several integrated organ systems.
- Field guideTidepooling without harmLow tide opens a temporary window into the intertidal zone. The best visit is timed conservatively, made from stable bare ground, and leaves every organism in its exact place.
- Field guideHow kelp forests support animalsHoldfasts, stipes, blades, and floating canopies add surfaces and shelter from seafloor to sea surface. Grazers consume kelp and epiphytes, detritus feeds animals inside and beyond the forest, and fish and invertebrates use the structure as nursery, feeding, and refuge habitat. Predators can indirectly protect kelp by limiting grazers in some regions.
- Field guideKeystone species and ecosystem engineersA keystone species has effects on community structure that are large relative to its abundance. An ecosystem engineer changes the physical environment in ways that alter resources for other organisms. The concepts overlap in beavers, but they are not synonyms.