Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future
Kelp forests are phyletically diverse, structurally complex and highly productive components of cold-water rocky marine coastlines. This paper reviews the conditions in which kelp forests develop globally and where, why and at what rate they become deforested. The ecology and long archaeological his...
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2002
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Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/65 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/sms_facpub/article/1064/viewcontent/Steneck.29.4.436.pdf |
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ftmaineuniv:oai:digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu:sms_facpub-1064 2024-09-15T18:22:17+00:00 Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future Steneck, Robert Graham, M. H. Bourque, B. J. Corbett, D. Erlandson, J. M. Estes, J. A. Tegner, M. J. 2002-12-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/65 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/sms_facpub/article/1064/viewcontent/Steneck.29.4.436.pdf unknown DigitalCommons@UMaine https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/65 doi:10.1017/S0376892902000322 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/sms_facpub/article/1064/viewcontent/Steneck.29.4.436.pdf Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship apex predators biodiversity herbivory human interactions kelp forests trophic cascades text 2002 ftmaineuniv https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322 2024-07-24T05:38:40Z Kelp forests are phyletically diverse, structurally complex and highly productive components of cold-water rocky marine coastlines. This paper reviews the conditions in which kelp forests develop globally and where, why and at what rate they become deforested. The ecology and long archaeological history of kelp forests are examined through case studies from southern California, the Aleutian Islands and the western North Atlantic, well-studied locations that represent the widest possible range in kelp forest biodiversity. Global distribution of kelp forests is physiologically constrained by light at high latitudes and by nutrients, warm temperatures and other macrophytes at low latitudes. Within mid-latitude belts (roughly 40-60degrees latitude in both hemispheres) well-developed kelp forests are most threatened by herbivory, usually from sea urchins. Overfishing and extirpation of highly valued vertebrate apex predators often triggered herbivore population increases, leading to widespread kelp deforestation. Such deforestations have the most profound and lasting impacts on species-depauperate systems, such as those in Alaska and the western North Atlantic. Globally urchin-induced deforestation has been increasing over the past 2-3 decades. Continued fishing down of coastal food webs has resulted in shifting harvesting targets from apex predators to their invertebrate prey, including kelp-grazing herbivores. The recent global expansion of sea urchin harvesting has led to the widespread extirpation of this herbivore, and kelp forests have returned in some locations but, for the first time, these forests are devoid of vertebrate apex predators. In the western North Atlantic, large predatory crabs have recently filled this void and they have become the new apex predator in this system. Similar shifts from fish- to crab-dominance may have occurred in coastal zones of the United Kingdom and Japan, where large predatory finfish were extirpated long ago. Three North American case studies of kelp forests were examined to ... Text North Atlantic Alaska Aleutian Islands The University of Maine: DigitalCommons@UMaine Environmental Conservation 29 4 436 459 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Maine: DigitalCommons@UMaine |
op_collection_id |
ftmaineuniv |
language |
unknown |
topic |
apex predators biodiversity herbivory human interactions kelp forests trophic cascades |
spellingShingle |
apex predators biodiversity herbivory human interactions kelp forests trophic cascades Steneck, Robert Graham, M. H. Bourque, B. J. Corbett, D. Erlandson, J. M. Estes, J. A. Tegner, M. J. Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
topic_facet |
apex predators biodiversity herbivory human interactions kelp forests trophic cascades |
description |
Kelp forests are phyletically diverse, structurally complex and highly productive components of cold-water rocky marine coastlines. This paper reviews the conditions in which kelp forests develop globally and where, why and at what rate they become deforested. The ecology and long archaeological history of kelp forests are examined through case studies from southern California, the Aleutian Islands and the western North Atlantic, well-studied locations that represent the widest possible range in kelp forest biodiversity. Global distribution of kelp forests is physiologically constrained by light at high latitudes and by nutrients, warm temperatures and other macrophytes at low latitudes. Within mid-latitude belts (roughly 40-60degrees latitude in both hemispheres) well-developed kelp forests are most threatened by herbivory, usually from sea urchins. Overfishing and extirpation of highly valued vertebrate apex predators often triggered herbivore population increases, leading to widespread kelp deforestation. Such deforestations have the most profound and lasting impacts on species-depauperate systems, such as those in Alaska and the western North Atlantic. Globally urchin-induced deforestation has been increasing over the past 2-3 decades. Continued fishing down of coastal food webs has resulted in shifting harvesting targets from apex predators to their invertebrate prey, including kelp-grazing herbivores. The recent global expansion of sea urchin harvesting has led to the widespread extirpation of this herbivore, and kelp forests have returned in some locations but, for the first time, these forests are devoid of vertebrate apex predators. In the western North Atlantic, large predatory crabs have recently filled this void and they have become the new apex predator in this system. Similar shifts from fish- to crab-dominance may have occurred in coastal zones of the United Kingdom and Japan, where large predatory finfish were extirpated long ago. Three North American case studies of kelp forests were examined to ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Steneck, Robert Graham, M. H. Bourque, B. J. Corbett, D. Erlandson, J. M. Estes, J. A. Tegner, M. J. |
author_facet |
Steneck, Robert Graham, M. H. Bourque, B. J. Corbett, D. Erlandson, J. M. Estes, J. A. Tegner, M. J. |
author_sort |
Steneck, Robert |
title |
Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
title_short |
Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
title_full |
Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
title_fullStr |
Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
title_full_unstemmed |
Kelp Forest Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Stability, Resilience and Future |
title_sort |
kelp forest ecosystems: biodiversity, stability, resilience and future |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@UMaine |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/65 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/sms_facpub/article/1064/viewcontent/Steneck.29.4.436.pdf |
genre |
North Atlantic Alaska Aleutian Islands |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Alaska Aleutian Islands |
op_source |
Marine Sciences Faculty Scholarship |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/sms_facpub/65 doi:10.1017/S0376892902000322 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/context/sms_facpub/article/1064/viewcontent/Steneck.29.4.436.pdf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892902000322 |
container_title |
Environmental Conservation |
container_volume |
29 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
436 |
op_container_end_page |
459 |
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1810461924499914752 |