News Highlights:
Kelp forests losing unique traits: Recently, a study published in a journal showed underwater ecosystems formed in shallow water by the dense growth of several different species known as kelps are declining because of climate change.
Highlights of the Study:
- The decline in the kelp forest:
- Kelp populations at equatorward-range edges are particularly vulnerable to climate change as these locations are undergoing warming at or beyond thermal tolerance thresholds.
- Ecklonia radiata, the dominant and most widely distributed Laminarian kelp in the southern hemisphere, rapidly succumb to warmer temperatures in spring and summer when temperatures exceed 27 degrees Celsius.
- Rising temperatures are causing declines in the species along the eastern Australian coastline, and it is expected to decline further in the future globally.
Kelp Forests:
- About:
- Kelp forests are underwater ecosystems formed in shallow water by the dense growth of several different species known as kelps.
- The term kelp refers to marine brown algae belonging to the order Laminariales (phylum: Ochrophyta).
- They attach to the seafloor, eventually grow to the water’s surface, and rely on sunlight to generate food and energy.
- Kelp forests are always coastal and require shallow, relatively clear water.
- They provide underwater habitats to hundreds of species of invertebrates, fishes, and other algae and have significant ecological and economic value.
- Productivity:
- Kelp forests are recognised as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth.
- Although algal kelp forests combined with coral reefs only cover 0.1% of Earth’s total surface, they account for 0.9% of global primary productivity.
- It serves as a relevant food source for various marine creatures.
- Kelps produce up to 60% of the carbon found in coastal invertebrates.
- Significance:
- Physically formed by brown macroalgae, kelp forests provide a unique habitat for marine organisms and are a source for understanding many ecological processes.
- kelp forests can influence coastal oceanographic patterns and provide many ecosystem services.
- Location:
- Kelp forests occur worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans.
- In 2007, kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador.
- Influence of humans:
- The influence of humans has often contributed to kelp forest degradation.
- Of particular concern are the effects of overfishing nearshore ecosystems, which can release herbivores from their normal population regulation and result in the overgrazing of kelp and other algae.
- This can rapidly result in transitions to barren landscapes where relatively few species persist.
- Solutions:
- Implementing marine protected areas is one management strategy useful for addressing such issues since it may limit the impacts of fishing and buffer the ecosystem from the additive effects of other environmental stressors.
Pic Courtesy: Down To Earth
Content Source: Down To Earth