SBC LTER and MBON: Sea urchin microbiomes in Southern California

Sea urchins are key grazers in coastal seas,
where they can survive a variety of conditions and diets, enhancing
their ecological impact on coral reefs, kelp forests, and other
ecosystems. These data describe a comparative study of
the microbiomes of the two dominant sea
urchin species in southern California, the red urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus , and the purple
urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus across
three rocky reef habitats that differed in the types and
availability of food resources: kelp forests, urchin barrens and a
hydrocarbon seep.