Kelp Forest

Kelp forests are a type of marine ecosystem established around colonies of kelp; they contain rich biodiversity. Kelp can stretch 2-30 meters or more (up to 60 m in Macrocystis pyrifera) from their anchors on the sea floor to the surface, providing a vertical infrastructure that is home to many fish and invertebrate species. Kelp forests also often attract mammalian visitors, including whales, sea lions, sea otters, and SCUBA-diving humans. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... In ecology, an ecosystem is a combination of all the living and non-living elements of an area. ... Families Alariaceae Chordaceae Laminariaceae Lessoniaceae Phyllariaceae Pseudochordaceae Kelp are large seaweeds, belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. ... Rainforests are the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ... The seabed (also sea floor, seafloor, or ocean floor) is the bottom of the ocean. ... Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus: one of the most abundant species of fish in the world. ... Invertebrate is a term coined by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck to describe any animal without a spinal column. ... Whales are the largest species of exclusively aquatic mammals, members of the order Cetacea, which also includes dolphins and porpoises. ... Genera Eumetopias Zalophus Otaria Neophoca Phocarctos A sea lion is any of several marine mammals of the family Otariidae. ... Binomial name Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is a large otter native to the North Pacific, from northern Japan and Kamchatka west across the Aleutian Islands south to California. ... SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are biologically classified as bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or thinking man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ...

Kelp forests draw their name from an analogy to forests on land. A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded function as carbon dioxide sinks, animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earths biosphere. ...

Environmental Characteristics

Kelp forests are found in temperate ocean waters around the globe wherever water conditions are conducive to the successful establishment of kelp colonies.

Kelp favors waters between about 4 and 20 degrees Celsius; various species of kelp favor different ranges of temperatures, but none grow in waters where the temperature is consistently warmer. Relatively clear water is also necessary, as kelp depends on light for photosynthesis. The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed it in 1742. ... Leaf. ...

Kelp forests are typically found in waters between 1 and 24 meters below the low tide mark; the tops are often partially exposed on very low spring tides, with the tops of the kelp sticking 20 to 30 cm out of the water. Water clarity is a key factor determining the depth of water a kelp forest can thrive in, as sufficient light must reach the depth where kelp are anchored to the sea floor and first start to grow. The tide is the cyclic rising and falling of Earths ocean surface caused by the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun acting on the Earth. ...

A high nutrient content (for example at an upwelling), moderate water movement via wave action or current, and a hard base for attachment are also all necessary requirements for the establishment of a kelp forest. Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-deplete surface water. ... Breaking waves at Childrens Pool, in La Jolla, CA A wave just before breaking at Manhattan Beach, CA Waves breaking on rocks Plunging wave or dumper forming a tube Ocean surface waves are surface waves which occur at the surface of an ocean. ... An ocean current is any more or less permanent or continuous, directed movement of ocean water that flows in one of the Earths oceans. ...

Major kelp forests can be found in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, along the coasts of western Europe, northeast Asia, western North America (from southern California to Alaska), South Africa, southern Australia, and the west coast of South America. Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains five continents (Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, parts of Africa, and Asia) as well as four... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Kelp

This section details the characteristics of kelp as it affects the kelp forest as an ecosystem. For more information on the organisms classified as kelp, see kelp. Families Alariaceae Chordaceae Laminariaceae Lessoniaceae Phyllariaceae Pseudochordaceae Kelp are large seaweeds, belonging to the brown algae and classified in the order Laminariales. ...

Physiology

Kelp anatomy as described in text

The general morphology of various kelp species form the basis around which the kelp forest ecosystem is built. Kelp have three basic structural units: From the US Office of Naval Research File links The following pages link to this file: Kelp forest Categories: U.S. Navy images ... From the US Office of Naval Research File links The following pages link to this file: Kelp forest Categories: U.S. Navy images ... Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in organisms. ...

• The holdfast is a root-like tangle which fixes a kelp to the sea floor or other anchoring surface.
• The stipe is a long stender stalk which extends vertically from the holdfast toward the surface.
• The fronds are leaf-like attachments to the stipe, are very numerous, and are the major sites of photosynthetic activity.

In addition, many kelps have pneumatocysts, or air bladders, located along the stipe or at the base of fronds, to help the kelp maintain a roughly vertical posture. A holdfast is a rootlike plant structure that anchors a seaweed. ... In botany, a stipe is a stem type of structure. ... A fern with simple (lobed or pinnatifid) blades, the dissection of each blade not quite reaching to the rachis. ... Phytology A pneumatocyst is a large float containing gas found in brown algae. ...

Kelp usually grows to the surface, and may continue to grow in length after reaching the surface, causing a canopy of floating fronds to develop. This dense vertical infrastructure with overlying canopy forms a system of microenvironments similar to those observed in a terrestrial forest, with a sunny canopy region, a partially shaded middle, and darkened floor. Each of these regions provides different niches for many types of animals and other plants. A dense growth of softwoods (a forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... According to Michael Porters ground breaking 1979 theory, there are 5 forces that influence a firms competitive strategy. ... A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded function as carbon dioxide sinks, animal habitats, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of the Earths biosphere. ... In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in an ecosystem. ...

Growth cycle

Kelp grows extraordinarily quickly. In ideal conditions, Giant kelp (genus Macrocystis) can grow 30-60 centimeters vertically per day. Therefore, kelp forests rapidly reach a "mature" status, in striking contrast to terrestrial forests which may take hundreds of years to mature (see old growth forest). Species Macrocystis pyrifera Macrocystis is a genus of kelp. ... It has been suggested that Ancient woodland be merged into this article or section. ...

Some kelp species live for only one year (analogous to annual terrestrial plants), while others live for up to seven years (corresponding to perennial plants). In perennial kelp forests, it is common to see the highest growth rates during the spring and summer months, with a corresponding die-back during the winter. Winter storms can also affect the growth cycle of kelp by tearing holes in the canopy, pruning fronds from kelp, or even dislodging entire kelp plants from the sea floor. This helps sunlight filter down to lower depths and creates gaps where new kelp plants can establish themselves. An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers and dies in one year. ... A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... Spring is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... For other senses of this word, see summer (disambiguation). ... Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ...

Microenvironments

Kelp Forest

kelp forest From a USA government website that doesnt have a proclaimed copyright restriction: http://bonita. ... kelp forest From a USA government website that doesnt have a proclaimed copyright restriction: http://bonita. ...

Inhabitants and visitors

Vertebrate aquatic animals

Harbor Seals, Sea Otters, Sea lions Binomial name Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758 The Harbor Seal or Common seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is a large otter native to the North Pacific, from northern Japan and Kamchatka west across the Aleutian Islands south to California. ... Genera Eumetopias Zalophus Otaria Neophoca Phocarctos A sea lion is any of several marine mammals of the family Otariidae. ...

cool animals

Plants and algae

Semi-aquatic animals

References

• Kelp Watch
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Kelp Forest Exhibit information

External links

• Monterey Bay Aquarium Kelp Cam - watch a live feed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's kelp forest exhibit
• Kelp Watch - a project by the Department of Primary Industries, Water & Environment of the government of Tasmania, Australia, with excellent general information on kelp forests as well as specific information on Tasmanian kelp forests.

-1... Emblems: Flora Tasmanian Blue Gum Fauna none Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Slogan or Nickname: The Apple Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Governor Premier Const. ...