Giant Kelp-Poster child of temperate rocky reefs

Ecology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 1889-1890
Author(s):  
Craig Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Giant Kelp ◽  
Rocky Reefs

Mechanisms leading to recruitment inhibition of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera by an understory alga

2021 ◽  
Vol 657 ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
BA Beckley ◽  
MS Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Macrocystis Pyrifera ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Giant Kelp ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Survival And Growth

The forest-forming giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera and the communities it supports have been decreasing across their native ranges in many parts of the world. The sudden removal of giant kelp canopies by storms increases space and light for the colonization by understory macroalgae, such as Desmarestia herbacea, which can inhibit M. pyrifera recovery and alter local community composition. Understanding the mechanisms by which algae such as D. herbacea interact with M. pyrifera can provide insight into patterns of kelp forest recovery following these disturbances and can aid in predicting future community structure. This study experimentally tested the independent and combined effects of two likely competitive mechanisms by which D. herbacea might inhibit recovery of M. pyrifera in the Point Loma kelp forest in San Diego, California (USA). Specifically, we conducted field experiments to study the individual and combined effects of shade and scour by D. herbacea on the survival of M. pyrifera microscopic life stages, and the recruitment, survival, and growth of its young sporophytes. Our results show that scour had the strongest negative effect on the survival of M. pyrifera microscopic life stages and recruitment, but shade and scour both adversely affected survival and growth of these sporophytes as they grew larger. Canopy-removing storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, and this change could facilitate the rise of understory species, like D. herbacea, which might alter community succession and recovery of kelp forests.

Natural and anthropogenic-induced stressors affecting the composition of fish communities on the rocky reefs of Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 112018
Author(s):  
Juan Figueroa-Pico ◽  
Francisco S. Tortosa ◽  
Antonio J. Carpio
Keyword(s):  
Fish Communities ◽  
Rocky Reefs

scholarly journals Southward decrease in the protection of persistent giant kelp forests in the northeast Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur Arafeh-Dalmau ◽  
Kyle C. Cavanaugh ◽  
Hugh P. Possingham ◽  
Adrian Munguia-Vega ◽  
Gabriela Montaño-Moctezuma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Marine Reserves ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Giant Kelp ◽  
Central California ◽  
Northeast Pacific ◽  
The Face ◽  
High Resolution Satellite Imagery ◽  
Northeast Pacific Ocean

AbstractKelp forests are globally important and highly productive ecosystems, yet their persistence and protection in the face of climate change and human activity are poorly known. Here, we present a 35-year time series of high-resolution satellite imagery that maps the distribution and persistence of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests along ten degrees of latitude in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. We find that although 7.7% of giant kelp is protected by marine reserves, when accounting for persistence only 4% of kelp is present and protected. Protection of giant kelp decreases southerly from 20.9% in Central California, USA, to less than 1% in Baja California, Mexico, which likely exacerbates kelp vulnerability to marine heatwaves in Baja California. We suggest that a two-fold increase in the area of kelp protected by marine reserves is needed to fully protect persistent kelp forests and that conservation of climate-refugia in Baja California should be a priority.

Interactive responses of primary producers and grazers to pollution on temperate rocky reefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 237 ◽  
pp. 388-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia E. Fowles ◽  
Rick D. Stuart-Smith ◽  
Nicole A. Hill ◽  
Russell J. Thomson ◽  
Elisabeth M.A. Strain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Producers ◽  
Rocky Reefs
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