User:Ilikefishandwhales/Nereocystis
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Ecology
[edit]Nereocystis, like other large, canopy forming kelps, play a crucial role in maintaining the biologically diverse kelp forests in the temperate marine environments where they flourish.[1] Their fast growth and size provide an important habitat not only for the fish and invertebrates that reside in kelp forests, but also for species that use kelp forests as foraging grounds.[2] In bull kelp forests, kelp crabs are important grazers that control the ecosystem by feeding on large canopy kelps such as Nereocystis.[3]
Microbial Communities
[edit]Nereocystis fosters microbacteria species, affecting the ecology on a microscopic level. These microbial bacteria species foster the growth of seaweed, producing growth-promoting substances.[4] According to studies by Weigel, the microbial communities that grow on Nereocystis are composed mostly of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Planctomycetes. Nereocystis is unique in that it contains a large percentage of Verrucomicrobia, with it composing approximately 10% of microbacteria populations on Nereocystis.[5]
Human Effects
[edit]Abalone mariculture (the commercial farming and harvest of abalone) and an increasing demand in human consumption have led to a notable and marked increase in Nereocystis extraction. This extraction is done by hand and removes the top two meters of the forest. These first two meters contain bull kelp's pneumatocysts and its reproductive organs, so this method of extraction destroys kelp forests that depend on Nereocystis.[6] Since bull kelp tend to only reproduce once a year, removal of these organs renders Nereocystis unable to reproduce.[7] The tissues of bull kelp are processed and turned into liquid fertilizer as well as food for abalones.[7]
- ^ Wheeler, W. N., and Druehl, L. D. (1986). Seasonal growth and productivity of Macrocystis integrifolia in British Columbia, Canada. Mar. Biol. 90, 181–186. doi: 10.1007/BF00569125
- ^ Calvert EL, Siddon CE, Stekoll MS (in prep) Direct and Indirect Effects of Kelp Beds in Structuring Fishand Invertebrate Assemblages in Southeastern Alaska
- ^ Dobkowski, Katie. “The Role of Kelp Crabs as Consumers in Bull Kelp Forests—Evidence from Laboratory Feeding Trials and Field Enclosures.” PeerJ, PeerJ Inc., 1 May 2017
- ^ Ravindra Pal Singh, C.R.K. Reddy, Seaweed–microbial interactions: key functions of seaweed-associated bacteria, FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 88, Issue 2, April 2014
- ^ Weigel, Brooke L., et al. “Successional Dynamics and Seascape-Level Patterns of Microbial Communities on the Canopy-Forming Kelps Nereocystis luetkeana and Macrocystis pyrifera.” Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 10, 2019.
- ^ Hansen GI, Mumford TF (1995) 1994/1995 Regulations for Seaweed Harvesting on the West Coast of North America. In
- ^ a b Springer, Yuri; Hays, Cynthia; Carr, Mark; Mackey, Megan; Bloeser, Jennifer (March 2007). "Ecology and Management of the Bull Kelp, Nereocystis Luetkeana" (PDF).