'A paper published last month in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution argues that the appetite of the Steller’s sea cow played a major role in shaping coastal ecosystems in northern Pacific waters, particularly the kelp forests that have been devastated in recent years by factors linked to climate change. The paper claims that the sea cow would have made kelp forests more resilient to these changes, and that conservationists may be able to use this knowledge to better protect such ecosystems in the future.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/science/sea-cow-california-kelp.html