An urchin barren is an area of the subtidal where the population growth of sea urchins has gone unchecked, causing destructive grazing of kelp beds or kelp forests (specifically the giant brown bladder kelp, Macrocystis).
Sea urchins eat kelp holdfasts but also climb on kelp to graze on the stipes and fronds. This can be caused by a lack of sea otters or other predators in the area, which makes it extremely important to protect the ecological balance in a kelp forest.
Despite their name, urchin barrens are usually abundant with marine invertebrate life, echinoderms in particular. Species such as the sunflower starfishes, brittle stars, and the purple sea urchin are common.
Famous quotes containing the words urchin and/or barren:
“Nutmeg, civet, and sea-parsley serve the plagued groom and bride
Who have brought forth the urchin grief.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“A society in which everyone works is not necessarily a free society and may indeed be a slave society; on the other hand, a society in which there is widespread economic insecurity can turn freedom into a barren and vapid right for the millions of people.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)