Patterns and drivers of understory macroalgal assemblage structure within subtidal kelp forests
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Patterns and drivers of understory macroalgal assemblage structure within subtidal kelp forests Dan A. Smale1 • Graham Epstein1 • Esther Hughes1 Andrew O. M. Mogg2,3 • Pippa J. Moore4
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Received: 22 April 2020 / Revised: 11 September 2020 / Accepted: 15 October 2020 Ó Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Kelp species are found along * 25% of the world’s coastlines, where they provide myriad of ecological goods and services. However, compared with many other terrestrial and marine vegetated ecosystems, kelp forests have been critically understudied in many regions, leading to pressing knowledge gaps that hinder management and conservation efforts. We conducted a large-scale survey of understorey macroalgae within subtidal kelp forests dominated by Laminaria hyperborea at 12 sites, nested within 4 regions in the United Kingdom (UK). Regions spanned * 9° in latitude and encompassed a gradient in average sea surface temperature of * 2.5 °C. We employed a combination of traditional hand-harvesting of quadrat samples and a novel 3D photogrammetry technique to quantify crustose coralline algae. The structure of understorey macroalgal assemblages was highly variable but showed clear partitioning at the spatial scales of both regions and sites. At the regional-scale, we observed a general increase in richness, diversity and biomass from north to south, most likely due to biogeographical context, ocean climate and the structure and composition of overlying kelp canopies. Site level variation was most likely driven by concurrent variability in wave exposure and kelp canopy structure. Our study shows that understorey macroalgal assemblages represent a rich and abundant component of kelp forests in the northeast Atlantic, with high biodiversity value that warrant conservation measures. As these kelp forest ecosystems are structured by multiple physical and biological processes, current and predicted environmental change will likely alter the diversity and composition of understorey macroalgal assemblages. Keywords Coastal ecosystems Marine biodiversity Seaweed assemblages Kelp forest ecology Laminaria hyperborea Northeast Atlantic
This article belongs to the Topical Collection: Coastal and marine biodiversity. Communicated by Angus Jackson. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-02002070-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. & Dan A. Smale [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
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Biodiversity and Conservation
Introduction Understanding patterns of biodiversity and the processes that influence them is a fundamental goal of ecology (Magurran 2013; Wilson 1993). Globally, coastal marine ecosystems are critically important in terms of their ecological and socioeconomic value, as they support high levels of biodiversity and productivity, and provide a variety of ecosystem goods and services (Costanza et al. 199
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