Kelp forest

A coastal marine ecosystem formed by dense stands of large brown algae. Its layered canopy and underwater structure provide food and habitat for diverse organisms.

Kelp: Large brown seaweeds in the order Laminariales, anchored to the seafloor and often growing in dense underwater stands. These algae form the forest’s canopy and structure.
Photosynthesis: The process by which organisms use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds. Kelp uses photosynthesis to build tissue and fuel rapid growth.
Kelp aquaculture: The cultivation of kelp for food, materials, animal feed, or other products. Farming draws on kelp biology but takes place outside wild forest ecosystems.
California kelp forests: Kelp-dominated coastal ecosystems along California, commonly formed by giant kelp and bull kelp. California forests illustrate strong links among kelp, urchins, and predators.
Marine heatwave: A prolonged period of unusually warm ocean temperatures relative to the local historical range. Heatwaves can stress kelp and intensify ecosystem change.
Holdfast: A rootlike structure that anchors seaweed to a surface without absorbing nutrients like a plant root. Kelp holdfasts attach the forest’s foundation to rocky seafloors.
Primary productivity: The rate at which producers create organic matter from inorganic sources in an ecosystem. High kelp production supports food webs and exports organic matter.
Marine protected area: A geographically defined area of ocean managed to conserve nature and associated cultural resources. Protection can limit some human pressures on kelp habitats.
Great Southern Reef: A network of temperate rocky reefs and kelp forests along southern Australia. This extensive system shows kelp forests beyond the better-known North Pacific.
Climate change: Long-term shifts in climate patterns, driven today primarily by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Warming and changing ocean conditions are reshaping kelp forests worldwide.

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