Contrasting mechanisms of dislodgement and erosion contribute to production of kelp detritus
Document Type
Journal Article
Publisher
Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography
Faculty
Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science
School
School of Natural Sciences / Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research
RAS ID
16424
Abstract
We quantified simultaneously dislodgement and erosion for a dominant kelp species (Ecklonia radiata) over 1 yr, and related both to potential explanatory factors (wave exposure, temperature, and kelp fecundity). Erosion was the largest contributor of detritus, accounting for 80% of annual production. Most erosion occurred as a major pulse in autumn, whereas dislodgement was a minor and constant process throughout the year. Neither erosion nor dislodgement was correlated with water velocity (as often proposed), and this finding contradicts the common assumption that high dislodgement rates during peak wave action account for the bulk of detrital production. Together with low growth, the high erosion rate led to a severe reduction of individual kelp biomass in autumn (from 600 g to 300 g fresh weight kelp-1), reducing drag forces on kelp thalli by ~ 50%, likely reducing their susceptibility to dislodgement during peak wave action. Instead, a pulse of detrital production coincided with periods of peak kelp fecundity. We propose that sporogenesis weakens the tissue, making E. radiata more susceptible to erosion, and that the ensuing changes in kelp morphology decouple detrital production from the wave-action forces.
DOI
10.4319/lo.2013.58.5.1680
Comments
De Bettignies, T. , Wernberg, T. , Lavery, P. S., Vanderklift, M. A., & Mohring, M. (2013). Contrasting mechanisms of dislodgement and erosion contribute to production of kelp detritus. Limnology and Oceanography, 58(5), 1680-1688. Available here