A comprehensive review of publications about kelp and fucoids from New Zealand and subsequent experiments on the early life stages of Hormosira banksii.

• Main Author: Edmunds, Nicolette Rene
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10092/106857; https://doi.org/10.26021/15268

Kelp (Laminariales) and fucoids (Fucales) are canopy-forming macroalgae that cover ca. 25% of the world’s coastlines, including many rocky coastlines throughout New Zealand. Marine forests, dominated by kelp and fucoids, are highly biodiverse and productive ecosystems that provide ecosystem functions, such as nutrient and carbon sequestration and habitat for marine species. However, seismic uplift, urbanization, warming, heatwaves, invasive species, eutrophication, coastal darkening, sedimentation, and elevated grazing pressure have reduced their vertical and horizontal distributions, globally and in New Zealand, motivating calls for protection and restoration. Kelp and fucoids have been studied in New Zealand since the 1930s but their research has not yet been systematically reviewed. Here I reviewed published kelp and fucoid research from New Zealand using Scopus searches, and extracted data about spatial locations, elevations, temporal patterns, study species, and study topics (Chapter 2). Data extractions from 430 papers showed that most kelp and fucoids were studied in central New Zealand, in the shallow subtidal zone (<30 m), over relatively short time scales (<2 years) and predominately in a single summer season. Furthermore, most studies were done on a multi-species community level typically showing distribution and abundance data. Ecklonia radiata and Durvillaea antarctica were the most studied kelp and fucoid species, respectively. I also identified a key research gap arising from few published studies on the early life history of fucoids – a research topic that is important for future protection and restoration projects. The systematic review was therefore followed by factorial laboratory experiments to determine optimal conditions to induce gamete release and grow zygotes of fucoids (Chapter 3). Experiments focused on reducing contaminants and specifically test for the relative importance of (a) temperature and heat stress on gamete release, (b) gamete solution-concentration and substrate ...