Phylum importance
Why echinoderms are so important to the earths oceans, and what kind of role they play
The echinoderm phylum is a central part of marine ecosystems, and is vital for keeping the health of oceans worldwide in check. Many echinoderms like the sea cucumber and sea star feed on and break down decomposing matter and detritus scattered amongst the seabed, these detritivore echinoderms play a huge role when it comes to recycling nutrients which enriches ocean soil. Although not all echinoderms feed only on detritus, sea urchins for example prefer feeding on algae and kelp, but even then this also gives sea urchins another important role which is preventing overgrowth of algae. Many echinoderms also play an important part in the food chain and balance the ecosystem by either being predator or prey, echinoderms like sea urchins are a big example due to being the primary food source of sea otters and also consumed by humans which keeps their population numbers in check.
This is an image of a sea otter eating a purple urchin, their preferred prey, this is a showcase of how sea urchins benefit the food chain.
Sea cucumbers are natural born detritivores, here one can be seen using its mouth tendrils to feed on decomposing matter.
