Question

besides being a shelter and food source for many different species, kelp forests benefit humans in many ways. by creating drag and decreasing wave action onshore, kelp forests protect coastal communities from shoreline erosion. kelp forests are also home to a number of recreationally and commercially important fishery species, such as kelp bass. additionally, these biodiversity hubs attract many tourists, who dive or kayak among the kelp and pour money into local businesses. back on land, kelp is an important economic resource to humans. people eat it and use it as fertilizer, and it shows promise as an alternative energy source. algin, a polysaccharide derived from brown kelp, is used as a thickening and gelling agent in foods and pharmaceuticals. algin is even used for waterproofing and fireproofing fabrics. kelp forests also play a role in climate regulation. they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. kelp absorbs carbon dioxide during growth and stores carbon in its biomass. when the kelp dies, most of its carbon content is then transported to the ocean floor, where it can be sequestered away from the atmosphere for centuries or longer. which of the following is most likely to result when a kelp forest is deforested and converted into an urchin barren? sea urchin populations are greatly reduced because the size of their predator populations increases. a greater variety of organisms congregate in the area for food and shelter. many ecosystem services, such as the reduction of shoreline erosion and the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, are lost.

Explanation:

Kelp forests provide multiple ecosystem - services like reducing shoreline erosion and sequestering carbon dioxide. When deforested, these services are lost. Sea urchin populations would likely increase as they lose a habitat - related predator pressure, and the biodiversity would decrease rather than increase.

Answer:

Many ecosystem services, such as the reduction of shoreline erosion and the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, are lost.