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“Kelp forms whole forests that are supporting so many other species and so it just has this cascading effect on the near-shore ecosystem when you lose your kelp,” Elsmore said. “You’re ...
Major issues of concern include marine pollution and water quality, kelp harvesting and fisheries, invasive species, [8] and climate change. [75] The most pressing threat to kelp forest preservation may be the overfishing of coastal ecosystems, which by removing higher trophic levels facilitates their shift to depauperate urchin barrens. [ 9 ]
Kelp forests provide important habitats for many fish species, sea otters and sea urchins. Directly and indirectly, marine coastal ecosystems provide vast arrays of ecosystem services for humans, such as cycling nutrients and elements, and purifying water by filtering pollutants. They sequester carbon as a cushion against climate change.
Kina populations throughout New Zealand have dramatically grown due to the effects of overfishing and climate change, resulting in over-grazing that significantly damages kelp forest ecosystems. Kina are now being actively removed from many ecosystems for marine conservation efforts.
Seaweed farming is a carbon negative crop, with a high potential for climate change mitigation. [7] [8] The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate recommends "further research attention" as a mitigation tactic. [9] World Wildlife Fund, Oceans 2050, and The Nature Conservancy publicly support expanded seaweed ...
A potential threat that may arise is loss of habitat due to climate change and its resulting consequences such as ocean acidification and pollution, as well as destruction and/or massive die-offs of kelp forests. This poses a threat because this species depends on dense canopies of kelp for protection from predators and for reproduction.
Seagrasses store more than twice as much carbon from planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) per square mile than forests do on land, according to a 2012 study. The plants also help support fisheries ...
Just one example is the giant bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana, which have evolved to change blade shape in order to increase drag in water and interception of light when exposed to certain environments. Bull kelp are not unique in this adaptation; many kelp species have evolved a genetic plasticity for blade shapes for different water flow ...