Kelp

Fundamentalversusrealizedniche
Whereisthisorganismnormallyfound?(i.e.habitatdistribution)
Theyarefoundthroughouttheworldinshallowopencoastalwaters,andthelargerforestsarerestricted
totemperatureslessthan20C,extendingtoboththeArcticandAntarcticCircles.A
dependenceuponlightforphotosynthesisrestrictsthemtoclearshallowwaterandtheyare
rarelymuchdeeperthan1540m.Thekelpshaveincommonacapacityforsomeofthemost
remarkablegrowthratesintheplantkingdom.InsouthernCalifornia,theMacrocystiscan
grow30cmperday.
Whatarethephysiologicalneedsoftheorganism?

individualkelpplantsoftenliveforseveralyears,thebladeshavealifespanofonlya
fewmonths.Whentheydie,thebladesfalloffanddecay,thedeadkelpisknownasshed
shortlifespanofthebladespreventscoloniesofencrustinganimalssuchasbryozoans
andhydroidsfromoverweightingkelpplantsandcausingthemtosink
kelpdependsonsunlight,andsinkingwouldpreventtheplantsfromgainingaccessto
thisvitalresourceatthesurface

equallyimportant,theconstantnaturalprocessofgrowth,dyinganddecayingprovides
theprimarysourceoffoodformanyanimalssuchasseacucumbers,urchin,seastars,and
moreinkelpcommunities
Describetheorganism'snormalroleinthesouthernCaliforniaecosystem(inanonEl
Nioyear)
nearshorehabitatsaredominatedbythegiantkelp,brownalgaformingstructurallycomplex,

speciesrich,andhighlyproductivehabitat
Fishandinvertebrateshavesubstantiallyhigherstandingstocks
Seaottersexertstrongcontrolonkelpforestfoodwebs.Byfeedinguponseaurchins,otters
reducetheintensityofgrazingandallowkelpstodevelopdensepopulations.Seaottersbring
urchins,abalones,andotherbenthicanimalstothesurfaceandoftensmashthemontheirchests
withtheaidofarock.

HowwillthehabitatoftheorganismbeimpactedbyElNio?
Abioticfactorimpacts
(light,rainfall,temperature,humidity)
elevatedtemperatures
reducednutrients(light)?
greaterturbidityinnearshorewatersowingtoincreasedrunoff,andleadingto
reducedlightlevelsorincreasedsedimentloading[
effectsofelninoeventsonnaturalkelp
beds]
excessiveprecipitationleadstoreducedkelpgrowth
Bioticfactorimpacts
(humans,livinganimals)

Urchinbehaviorisconnectedtokelpcommunitystructurebyafascinatingfeedback
loop.Foodabundanceaffectsurchinfeedingbehaviorandfeedingbehavior,inturnmay
determinethepatternofkelprecruitment.

Howwillthephysiologyoftheorganismbeimpacted?
ElNio

,cantearanddislodgethekelp,leavingatatteredwinterforesttobeginitsgrowth
againeachspring.

Kelpforestsgrowbestinnutrientrich,clearwaterswhosetemperaturesarebetween

4272degreesF(520degreesC).Thewatermustbeclearsothatsunlightcanreachthe
oceanfloorwherethekelplifebegins.Ifthewateristoowarm(warmerthan20degrees),the
kelpdoesnotthriveaswell.Itsmostsuccessfulgrowthisingeographicareasofupwellingand
wherethewatersarealwayshighinnutrientsandalwayscold.

WillitbestressedordoesthechangesexpectedtooccurduringElNiolie
withinthephysiologicalcapabilitiesofthisorganism?(anythingtotakeitoutof
itsniche)

thegrowthofjuvenilegiantkelpplants,usuallylimitedbylight,became
nutrientlimitedasbottomirradiancelivesweresubstantiallyhigherduringtheElNino
andphysiologicalstresscausedbythewarmtemperatureandlownutrient
concentrationreducedphotosyntheticcapacityinjuvenileandadultplants.Thusthere
werepoorgrowthandextensivemortalityofbothM
acrocystis
recruitsandadultswhich
survivedthestorms
WhathashappenedduringpreviousElNiostothisorganism?

Surveyedatlargesizesin1857and1911,certainofthecoastalkelpforestsofSouthernCalifornia
begantodeclineinsurfaceareaabout1940andallexperiencedmajorlossesduringtheElNinoof
195759.
theproximalreasonforthedeclineoftheforestswasdeterminedtobeintenseseaurchin
grazing
First,environmentalconditionssuchasstorms,warmwater,orlowlightlevelscouldreducekelp
standingstocksand/orproductivitybelowthelevelneededtosatisfyexistinggrazingdemand.
Second,grazingdemandcouldincreaseduetoincreasedseaurchinrecruitment,movement,or
decreasedpredationrates.Leightonetal.(1966)furthersuggestthatseaurchingrazingratesrise
fasterthankelpgrowthratesinwarmwater
DidthosechangeslastlongaftertheElNioceased?(Howlongdidittakefor
thingstoreturnto"normal"forthisspecies?
Therewasagainsomecanopyformationduringwinter198384,butthesurfacetemperatureincreased
fasterandsummersurfacetemperatureswerehigherin1984thantheyearbefore.Thusthe
canopyalsodisappearedfaster.TemperaturefinallyreturnedtothemeaninNovember1984
andthecanopybegantorecoverquickly.Therewasnothermalstressin1985butthegiant
kelpcanopyatPointLomadeclinedbyalmost60%fromJanuarytoJulyduetoaninfestation
ofgrazingamphipods,apparentlyasecondaryeffectoftheElNino.
Willthisbesimilartooroppositeoftheimpactsthisorganismwillfaceinthefuturewith
GlobalClimateChange?(i.e.oceanacidification)

**conditionsimmediatelyprecedingandfollowingeachElNinoepisode,criticallyaffectsoverall

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/kelp.html

http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/59/supplement/S330.full.pdf

http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/kelpforest.html

https://books.google.com/books?id=dO_LBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=fundamental+
niche+of+kelp&source=bl&ots=Up1fSUqOA&sig=N4nOIF64jkcPlC8lCrIsCoA_Nuk&hl=en&sa=
X&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBGoVChMIs6Lcgo2ZyQIVRyuICh3UEwhf#v=onepage&q=fundamental%2
0niche%20of%20kelp&f=false

LiebegsLawoftheMinimumyieldisproportionaltotheamountofthemostlimitingnutrient.

RedfieldRatio:Carbonisneededthemost,notlimitingusually.
becauseitseverywhere.
106molC:16molN:1molP:
RedfieldRatioomits106molCsinceitsnoteverlimiting..

LowPrimaryProduction:Oligotrophic(under16Nproduction)

HighPrimaryProducton:Eutrophic(over16Nproduction)

ALWAYSGNNANEEDDATNITROGEN
^hellyabish

ThermoclineAnareaintheoceanwhererapidtemperaturechangeoccurs.Everythingabove
thislineisthemixedlayer,whichisinfluencedbythewind.Thedeepwaterlayerisunder,
whereitsjustonelargepot.

EuphoticZone
areofoceanreceivingenoughlighttosupportphotosynthesis.

DeepChlorophyllMax(SweetSpotofphytoplankton)

ElNinoSouthernOscillationENSO(canbe+ordependingonElNinoorLaNina)

1Innormalconditionsthetradewinds(oftheequator)movetowardsAus,causesupwelling
oncoastofPeru,nicefisheries.DuringElNinothisisapositiveENSO,upwellingdecreases
andrains