Kelp forests collapse reduces understorey seaweed β-diversity.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Kelps are the primary foundation species in temperate subtidal rocky shores worldwide. However, global change is causing their decline with consequences for the organisms that rely on them. An accurate assessment of these consequences may depend on which attributes of the associated community are considered. This study shows that conventional α-diversity approaches may overlook some of these consequences compared to spatially explicit approaches such as with β-diversity.

Methods

A 1-year seasonal study was conducted to compare the macroalgal understorey between healthy reefs with a Laminaria ochroleuca canopy and degraded reefs where the canopy collapsed years ago due to excessive fish herbivory. At each reef, the understorey seaweed assemblage was record

SUBMITTER: Pineiro-Corbeira C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10921829 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature