What is a kelp forest ecosystem?

Asked by: Sharon White

Kelp Forests are underwater ecosystems formed in shallow water by the dense growth of several different species known as kelps. Though they look very much like plants, kelps are actually extremely large brown algae.

What is a kelp forest ecosystem like?

Kelp are large brown algae that live in cool, relatively shallow waters close to the shore. They grow in dense groupings much like a forest on land. These underwater towers of kelp provide food and shelter for thousands of fish, invertebrates, and marine mammal species.

What are 4 ecosystem services of kelp forests?

The kelp forests provide several important ecosystem services including regulating (e.g., carbon storage and cleaning of the water), primary production, creating habitats including for commercial species, providing raw material for commercial harvest, farming, and industry, and cultural (ecotourism and recreational …

Is kelp an ecosystem?

The kelp forest is one of the most productive ocean ecosystems on Earth, supporting a greater diversity of plants and animals than almost any other marine habitat.

What is a kelp forest and why is it important?

Kelp forests are the anchor of nearshore ocean wildlife communities across the U.S. West Coast and northeast, sustaining marine biodiversity by providing shelter, habitat and even food for an array of fish and invertebrates.

What is the habitat of kelp?

Kelp are large brown algae (Phaeophyta) that live in cool, relatively shallow waters close to the shore. There are about 30 different species of kelp worldwide. They grow in dense groupings much like a forest on land, and are found predominantly along the Pacific coast from Alaska to parts of Baja California.

What plants live in kelp forests?

These include the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), oarweed (Laminaria setchellii), bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), and featherboa (Egregia menziesii). Kelp forests have some characteristics in common with forests found on land. They are complex ecosystems that support many interconnected food webs.

How does kelp help the environment?

Because seaweed is a primary producer and makes its food from the sun, many organisms feed on the kelp and then in turn feed other animals. While kelp is food for many organisms, kelp also provides shelter for many forms of sea life.

Are kelp forests good for the environment?

These lush and biodiverse kelp forests are an oasis for life. In fact, they provide important habitats for many marine species like starfish, salmon, rockfish, and kelp crabs. They’re also a vital nursery for herring who spawn (release eggs) on kelp.

How do kelp forests help climate change?

Kelp are essentially the ocean’s equivalent of trees. They absorb carbon dioxide and nitrogen compounds, helping clean the atmosphere while capturing up to 20 times more carbon per acre than land forests.

Why are kelp forests important for biodiversity?

Kelp forests have long been known to harbor a high number and diversity of marine species, from tiny crustaceans to large fish and marine mammals. This biodiversity tends to be attributed to the complex structure and productivity of giant kelp, earning it the title ‘foundational species’.

Why is kelp important to kelp forests?

Because kelps are primary producers that modify the environment to create suitable habitat for a great diversity of species, they are known as foundational species.

Where do kelp forests grow?

Pacific coast

Rich in biodiversity, kelp forests grow along rocky shorelines, mostly on the Pacific coast, from Alaska to Baja, California. Alaska is home to three types of kelp: Macrocystis (two kinds, one of which is giant kelp), Nereocystis luetkeana (bull kelp) and Alaria fistulosa.

What is a kelp plant?

Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant since it is not made of more than one clearly differentiated tissue; it is a heterokont. Kelp.

What does a kelp eat?

Like land plants, kelp uses energy from sunlight to make its own food. This process is called photosynthesis. Sunlight is captured by the plant and the energy particles in sunlight (photons) are used to drive a chemical reaction that produces sugar. This sugar is the food for the plant.

How do kelp grow?

Held upright by gas-filled bladders at the base of leaflike blades, kelp fronds grow straight up to the surface toward sunlight, where they spread across the top of the water to form a dense canopy. Giant kelp often grows in turbulent water, which brings renewed supplies of nutrients.

Do kelp forests need oxygen?

Because kelps and other macroalgae are primary producers and absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, one might expect the effects of hypoxia to be modest. However, kelps and macroalgae also respire, which requires oxygen.

How do animals adapt to kelp forests?

Other examples of adaptations in the kelp forest include thick fur (sea otter) or layers of insulating fat (seals and whales) to protect against the chilling effects of cold 43 Page 3 re ocean water.