Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aaron M. Eger, Ezequiel M. Marzinelli, Rodrigo Beas-Luna, Caitlin O. Blain, Laura K. Blamey, Jarrett E. K. Byrnes, Paul E. Carnell, Chang Geun Choi, Margot Hessing-Lewis, Kwang Young Kim, Naoki H. Kumagai, Julio Lorda, Pippa Moore, Yohei Nakamura, Alejandro Perez-Matus, Ondine Pontier, Dan Smale, Peter D. Steinberg, Adriana Verges
Summary: Marine kelp forests have significant ecological and economic value, providing valuable services such as fisheries production, nutrient cycling, and carbon removal. The potential value of these services provided by major kelp genera ranges from $64,400 to $147,100 per hectare annually. Globally, these services generate between $465 billion and $562 billion per year, with an average of $500 billion. The findings emphasize the importance of kelp forests for society and can inform better marine management and conservation decisions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Samuel Starko, Christopher J. Neufeld, Lianna Gendall, Brian Timmer, Lily Campbell, Jennifer Yakimishyn, Louis Druehl, Julia K. Baum
Summary: Marine heatwaves pose a threat to the persistence of kelp forests globally. However, the responses of kelp forests to these events vary greatly on local scales. Temperature variation at fine spatial scales is found to be a critical factor influencing kelp forest persistence. Biotic interactions and bottom substrate are also found to be associated with kelp forest persistence.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sara Barrientos, Cristina Pineiro-Corbeira, Rodolfo Barreiro
Summary: Kelp forests around the world have been declining, mainly due to climate change. This study reveals that excessive herbivory by fish has caused the degradation of golden kelp forests in NW Spain.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Christopher J. Frost
Summary: Through the use of visual estimation techniques, citizen science initiatives have helped collect a large amount of herbivory data, confirming that understory leaves have significantly higher herbivory rates than canopy leaves; although younger participants showed some bias, data integrity remained high.
Article
Biology
Kristen M. Michaud, Daniel C. Reed, Robert J. Miller
Summary: Sessile invertebrates in Californian kelp forests undergo prolonged changes in community structure following a marine heatwave event, indicating a climate-driven shift in the ecosystem.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Meredith L. McPherson, Dennis J. Finger, Henry F. Houskeeper, Tom W. Bell, Mark H. Carr, Laura Rogers-Bennett, Raphael M. Kudela
Summary: Climate change led to marine heatwave events in northern California, causing unprecedented losses in bull kelp forests and devastating consequences for local communities, economies, and fisheries. The ecosystem shifts following the marine heatwave highlight the importance of ecosystem-based and adaptive management strategies for resilience and restoration efforts.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Salvador Zarco-Perello, Nestor E. Bosch, Scott Bennett, Mat A. Vanderklift, Thomas Wernberg
Summary: Global warming has led to the expansion of tropical herbivores and a tropicalization of temperate marine ecosystems, resulting in difficulties for kelp recovery. Tropical herbivores exert strong top-down control on turf seaweed and kelp.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ohad Peleg, Caitlin O. Blain, Nick T. Shears
Summary: This study compared the temporal variation in ecosystem state between a marine reserve and nearby fished reefs in New Zealand. The results showed that the protected reserve exhibited more persistent and stable reef ecosystem states compared to the fished sites. It was found that long-term protection of predators facilitated kelp forest recovery, prevented shifts to denuded alternate states, and enhanced kelp forest stability.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Narissa Bax, David K. A. Barnes, Santiago E. A. Pineda-Metz, Tabitha Pearman, Markus Diesing, Stefanie Carter, Rachel V. Downey, Chris D. Evans, Paul Brickle, Alastair M. M. Baylis, Alyssa M. Adler, Amy Guest, Kara K. S. Layton, Paul E. Brewin, Daniel T. I. Bayley
Summary: Ecosystem-based conservation, including blue carbon habitats and carbon credit systems, can reduce greenhouse gas levels and support biodiversity and sustainable economies. However, there is limited research and policy integration at the regional level, hindering effective management. Coastal ecosystems in the South Atlantic and sub-Antarctic regions can provide valuable information for long-term ecosystem-based management.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Gregory D. Martin, Ember M. Morrissey, Walter P. Carson, Zachary B. Freedman
Summary: Healthy forests are essential for their resources, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration, but anthropogenic activities pose a significant threat. This study explores the impacts of disturbances, such as fire, herbivores, and canopy gaps, on soil carbon, nitrogen, and microbial dynamics in a deciduous forest system, with fire having the most significant influence.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Keira Monuki, Paul H. Barber, Zachary Gold
Summary: Results showed significant variation in species richness and community assemblages in teleost fish and elasmobranchs across different depths and horizontal spaces, highlighting the sensitivity of eDNA in capturing fine-scale vertical, horizontal, and temporal variation in marine vertebrate communities. Differences in community assemblages between nearshore and surf zone sampling stations at the same depth and across three sampling days were observed, but consistent habitat preferences were found in 69% of the cases.
Article
Forestry
Robert T. Fahey, Danielle N. Tanzer, Brandon C. Alveshere, Jeff W. Atkins, Christopher M. Gough, Brady S. Hardiman
Summary: Canopy defoliation is a significant disturbance in forest ecosystems, and scalable experimental methods are needed to study its effects on forest structure and function. The pressure washing-based defoliation method presented in this study allows for canopy-scale manipulation and can provide consistent results across different branches and species. It has the potential to be widely applied in studying the impacts of defoliation on forest ecosystems.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Mimi A. R. Koehl
Summary: This paragraph discusses the challenges faced by marine macrophytes in coastal habitats, including turbulent water currents and waves that deform and rip them off. It also highlights the important role of water flow in transporting substances to the plants and dispersing their propagules and wastes. The morphology and mechanical properties of the plants determine their response to hydrodynamic forces, and different mechanical designs can perform well in the same habitat. Understanding the physical challenges faced by macrophytes throughout their lives is crucial, as their size, shape, and tissue properties change as they grow and age.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sarucha Suebsanguan, Elisabeth M. A. Strain, Rebecca L. Morris, Stephen E. Swearer
Summary: The study found that to maximize zoospore release, sporophylls should be transported dry and inoculated within 3 hours, while inoculum should be added to sterilized media at lower concentrations to improve post-settlement survival of the gametophyte stage. Future research should focus on optimizing sporophyte production, out-planting and transplanting techniques to develop a full life-cycle cultivation protocol for kelp restoration purposes.
RESTORATION ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Matt J. Nimbs, Thomas Wernberg, Tom R. Davis, Curtis Champion, Melinda A. Coleman
Summary: Climate change has led to the decline and loss of kelp forests globally, affecting their ecological and economic values. Kelp populations at the equatorward range edges are particularly vulnerable to warming, which may result in the loss of unique adaptive or evolutionary genetic diversity. Through genetic analysis, we identified haplotype diversity in the dominant Laminarian kelp Ecklonia radiata in the south-western Pacific, a region experiencing high warming rates. We discovered a genetically diverse deep-water range-edge population off Moreton Island, Queensland, which serves as a refuge during climatic changes and requires urgent conservation efforts.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
