26Kelps are ecologically important primary producers and ecosystem engineers, and play a central role 27 in structuring nearshore temperate habitats. They play an important role in nutrient cycling, energy 28 capture and transfer, and provide biogenic coastal defence. Kelps also provide extensive substrata 29 for colonising organisms, ameliorate conditions for understorey assemblages, and provide three-30 dimensional habitat structure for a vast array of marine plants and animals, including a number of 31 commercially important species. Here, we review and synthesise existing knowledge on the 32 functioning of kelp species as biogenic habitat providers. We examine biodiversity patterns 33 associated with kelp holdfasts, stipes and blades, as well as the wider understorey habitat, and 34 search for generality between kelp species and biogeographic regions. Environmental factors 35 influencing biogenic habitat provision and the structure of associated assemblages are considered, 36 as are current threats to kelp-dominated ecosystems. Despite considerable variability between 37 species and regions, kelps are key habitat-forming species that support elevated levels of 38 biodiversity, diverse and abundant assemblages and facilitate trophic linkages. Enhanced 39 appreciation and better management of kelp forests are vital for ensuring sustainability of ecological 40 goods and services derived from temperate marine ecosystems. 41
Aim In marine ecosystems, habitat‐forming species (HFS) such as reef‐building corals and canopy‐forming macroalgae alter local environmental conditions and can promote biodiversity by providing biogenic living space for a vast array of associated organisms. We examined community‐level impacts of observed climate‐driven shifts in the relative abundances of two superficially similar HFS, the warm‐water kelp Laminaria ochroleuca and the cool‐water kelp Laminaria hyperborea. Location Western English Channel, north‐east Atlantic Methods We compared algal and invertebrate assemblages associated with kelp stipes and holdfasts, across multiple sites and sampling events. Significant differences were recorded in the structure of assemblages between the host kelp species at each site and event. Results Assemblages associated with stipes of the cool‐water HFS were, on average, >12 times more diverse and supported >3600 times more biomass compared with the warm‐water HFS. Holdfast assemblages also differed significantly between species, although to a lesser extent than those associated with stipes. Overall, assemblages associated with the warm‐water HFS were markedly impoverished and comprised far fewer rare or unique taxa. Main conclusions While previous research has shown how climate‐driven loss of HFS can cause biodiversity loss, our study demonstrates that climate‐driven substitutions of HFS can also lead to impoverished assemblages. The indirect effects of climate change remain poorly resolved, but shifts in the distributions and abundances of HFS may invoke widespread ecological change, especially in marine ecosystems where facilitative interactions are particularly strong.
Kelp species are ecologically-important habitat-formers in coastal marine ecosystems, where they alter environmental conditions and promote local biodiversity by providing complex biogenic habitat for an array of associated organisms. While it is widely accepted that kelps harbour significant biodiversity, our current understanding of spatiotemporal variability in kelp-associated assemblages and the key environmental drivers of variability patterns remains limited. Here we examined the influence of ocean temperature and wave exposure on the structure of faunal assemblages associated with the holdfasts of Laminaria hyperborea, the dominant habitat-forming kelp in the northeast Atlantic. We sampled holdfasts from 12 kelp-dominated open-coast sites nested within four regions across the UK, spanning ~9° in latitude and ~2.7° C in mean sea surface temperature. Overall, holdfast assemblages were highly diverse, with 261 taxa representing 11 phyla recorded across the study. We examined patterns of spatial variability for sessile and mobile taxa separately, and documented high variability between regions, between sites within regions, and between replicate holdfasts for both assemblage types. Mobile assemblage structure was more strongly linked to temperature variability than sessile assemblage structure, which was principally structured by site-level variability in factors such as wave exposure. Patterns in the structure of both biogenic habitat and associated assemblages did not vary predictably along a latitudinal gradient in temperature, indicating that other processes acting across multiple spatial and temporal scales are important drivers of assemblage structure. Overall, kelp holdfasts in the UK supported high levels of diversity, that were similar to other kelp-dominated systems globally and comparable to those recorded for other vegetated marine habitats (i.e. seagrass beds), which are perhaps more widely recognised for their high biodiversity value.
Kelp forests dominate temperate and polar rocky coastlines and represent critical marine habitats because they support elevated rates of primary and secondary production and high biodiversity. A major threat to the stability of these ecosystems is the proliferation of nonnative species, such as the Japanese kelp Undaria pinnatifida ('Wakame'), which has recently colonised natural habitats in the UK. We quantified the abundance and biomass of U. pinnatifida on a natural rocky reef habitat over 10 months to make comparisons with three native canopy-forming brown algae (Laminaria ochroleuca, Saccharina latissima, and Saccorhiza polyschides). We also examined the biogenic habitat structure provided by, and epibiotic assemblages associated with, U. pinnatifida in comparison to native macroalgae. Surveys conducted within the Plymouth Sound Special Area of Conservation indicated that U. pinnatifida is now a dominant and conspicuous member of kelp-dominated communities on natural substrata. Crucially, U. pinnatifida supported a structurally dissimilar and less diverse epibiotic assemblage than the native perennial kelp species. However, U. pinnatifidaassociated assemblages were similar to those associated with Saccorhiza polyschides, which has a similar life history and growth strategy. Our results suggest that a shift towards U. pinnatifida dominated reefs could result in impoverished epibiotic assemblages and lower local biodiversity, although this could be offset, to some extent, by the climate-driven proliferation of L. ochroleuca at the poleward range edge, which provides complex biogenic habitat and harbours relatively high biodiversity. Clearly, greater understanding of the long-term dynamics and competitive interactions between these habitat-forming species is needed to accurately predict future biodiversity patterns.
1. Climate change can alter ecological communities both directly, by driving shifts in species distributions and abundances, and indirectly by influencing the strength and direction of species interactions. Within benthic marine ecosystems, foundation species such as canopy-forming macro-algae often underpin important cascades of facilitative interactions.2. We examined the wider impacts of climate-driven shifts in the relative abundances of foundation species within a temperate reef system, with particular focus on a habitat cascade whereby kelp facilitate epiphytic algae that, in turn, facilitate mobile invertebrates. Specifically, we tested whether the warm-water kelp Laminaria ochroleuca, which has proliferated in response to recent warming trends, facilitated a secondary habitat-former (epiphytic algae on stipes) and associated mobile invertebrates, to the same degree as the cold-water kelp Laminaria hyperborea.3. The facilitative interaction between kelp and stipe-associated epiphytic algae was dramatically weaker for the warm-water foundation species, leading to breakdown of a habitat cascade and impoverished associated faunal assemblages. On average, the warm-water kelp supported >250 times less epiphytic algae (by biomass) and >50 times fewer mobile invertebrates (by abundance) than the cold-water kelp. Moreover, by comparing regions of pre-and postrange expansion by L. ochroleuca, we found that warming-impacted kelp forests supported around half the biomass of epiphytic algae and one-fifth of the abundance of mobile invertebrates, per unit area, compared with unimpacted forests. We suggest that disruption to this facilitation cascade has the potential to
The cover image, by Harry Teagle and Dan A. Smale et al., is based on the Biodiversity Research Climate‐driven substitution of habitat‐forming species leads to reduced biodiversity within a temperate marine community, https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12775. Photo Credit: Dan Smale.
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