Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, increases faunal diversity through physical engineering

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Vol. 285; no. 1874; p. 20172571
• Main Authors: Miller, Robert J., Lafferty, Kevin D., Lamy, Thomas, Kui, Li, Rassweiler, Andrew, Reed, Daniel C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Royal Society 14.03.2018; The Royal Society Publishing
• Edition: Royal Society (Great Britain)
• Subjects: Algae; Animals; Biodiversity; Biomass; Communities; Competition; Ecology; Ecosystem; Ecosystem Engineering; Ecosystems; Facilitation; Fishes - physiology; Food Chain; Foundation Species; Invertebrates; Invertebrates - physiology; Kelp Forest; Macrocystis - physiology; Predators; Sea urchins; Sessile species; Shades; Species richness; Subtidal; competition; foundation species; facilitation; kelp forest; subtidal; ecosystem engineering

Foundation species define the ecosystems they live in, but ecologists have often characterized dominant plants as foundational without supporting evidence. Giant kelp has long been considered a marine foundation species due to its complex structure and high productivity; however, there is little qua...