Baby kelp hides inside red seaweed, aiding forest recovery
Gannon T, Visch W, Burridge CP, Smolenski A, McCammon S
Native Plants
The tide pools and reefs you might explore on a coastal trip rely on unassuming red seaweeds that are secretly nurseries for the giant kelp forests supporting entire marine ecosystems.
Giant kelp forests in Australia have shrunk by 95% since the 1970s, and scientists wanted to know why recovery has been so hard. They found that microscopic baby kelp, too small to see, actually grows hidden inside eight species of red seaweed, tucked safely inside their tissue rather than out in the open water. This means protecting those unassuming red seaweeds could be key to bringing giant kelp forests back.
Key Findings
Giant kelp forests in Australia have declined 95% since the 1970s due to climate change
DNA testing found microscopic kelp gametophytes living inside 8 of 13 tested red macroalgae species, with Ballia callitricha hosting them in 66.7% of samples
Surface-sterilization tests confirmed the kelp gametophytes were growing endophytically (inside host tissue), not just on the surface
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists in Australia discovered that baby giant kelp hides inside red seaweeds long before it grows into visible kelp forests, suggesting these red seaweeds act as a hidden nursery that could help restore kelp forests devastated by climate change.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) gametophytes grow endophytically in red macroalgae: Implications for kelp restoration.
Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests have declined by 95% in Australia since the 1970s due to climate change. Despite expanding restoration efforts, long-term recovery is still lacking. Factor...
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Macrocystis is a monospecific genus of kelp with all species now synonymous with Macrocystis pyrifera. It is commonly known as giant kelp or bladder kelp. This genus contains the largest of all the Phaeophyceae or brown algae. Macrocystis has pneumatocysts at the base of its blades. Sporophytes a...