Morphology of Ascophyllum nodosum in relation to commercial harvesting in New Brunswick, Canada
Intertidal seaweed beds form three-dimensional structures providing habitat for a variety of species. As such, ecosystem-based management of seaweed harvesting must take into consideration the impact of the harvest not only on the biomass but also on the morphology of the seaweed. We compare the mor...
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Published in | Journal of applied phycology Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 2371 - 2381 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Dordrecht
Springer Netherlands
01.10.2023
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Intertidal seaweed beds form three-dimensional structures providing habitat for a variety of species. As such, ecosystem-based management of seaweed harvesting must take into consideration the impact of the harvest not only on the biomass but also on the morphology of the seaweed. We compare the morphology and vertical distribution of biomass and shoots in
Ascophyllum nodosum
from three sites with a 20 + year history of commercial harvesting with three corresponding control sites in southern New Brunswick, Canada. We found no significant impact of harvest history on the vertical distribution of shoots or biomass within individual clumps. At two of the three harvested sites, large clumps had a wider circumference than those at the control sites, suggesting that long-term harvesting increases the growth of shoots throughout the clumps; presumably caused by an increase in light penetration through the harvested canopy. We also compare biomass of littorinids, the most abundant invertebrates found in
A. nodosum
beds at low tide and found no significant difference between control and harvested sites. We conclude that the harvest of
A. nodosum
according to the current regulations in New Brunswick, does not have long-term impact on the morphology of the algae or on the abundance of its main inhabitant. |
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ISSN: | 0921-8971 1573-5176 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s10811-023-03028-6 |