Book excerpt: Sea otter foraging habits and effects on prey populations and communities in soft bottom environments; effects of foraging by sea otters on mussel dominated intertidal communities; kelp communities and sea otters; effects of sea otter foraging on subtidal reef communities off central California; fish populations in kelp forests without sea otters, effects of severe damage and destructive sea urchin grazing; effects of kelp forests on nearshore environments, biomass, detritus, and altered flow; sea otters and nearshore benthic communities.