Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland
All marine communities in Greenland are experiencing rapid environmental change, and to understand the effects on those structured by seaweeds, baseline records are vital. The kelp and coralline algae habitats along Greenland’s coastlines are rarely studied, and we fill this knowledge gap...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-10-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/10/4/117 |
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| author | Kathryn M. Schoenrock Johanne Vad Arley Muth Danni M. Pearce Brice R. Rea J. Edward Schofield Nicholas A. Kamenos |
| author_facet | Kathryn M. Schoenrock Johanne Vad Arley Muth Danni M. Pearce Brice R. Rea J. Edward Schofield Nicholas A. Kamenos |
| author_sort | Kathryn M. Schoenrock |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | All marine communities in Greenland are experiencing rapid environmental change, and to understand the effects on those structured by seaweeds, baseline records are vital. The kelp and coralline algae habitats along Greenland’s coastlines are rarely studied, and we fill this knowledge gap for the area around Nuuk, west Greenland. Using subtidal swath surveys, photo-quadrats, and grab samples, we characterised the diversity of floral and faunal assemblages in kelp forests and coralline algae beds. The most abundant herbivore assemblages and the most diverse communities occur in the interstitial habitats of rhodolith beds. In kelp forests, species diversity is higher in epi-benthic (photo-quadrat) and mid-water (swath) surveys. These habitats are not mutually exclusive; <i>Agarum clathratum</i> is prominent in coralline algal habitats, while crustose coralline algae cover the bedrock under kelp holdfasts. Overall, the suite of surveys used capture the diverse communities within kelp forests and coralline algae in Greenland and their differing role in the life history of the inhabitants. Furthermore, coralline algae beds are an important carbonate store, with CaCO<sub>3</sub> concentrations ranging from 28.06 to 103.73 g·m<sup>−3</sup>. Our research sets the baseline for continued investigations and monitoring of these important habitats and their supported fisheries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:56:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ed8c92244d247fdb865572812f7e921 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:56:10Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ed8c92244d247fdb865572812f7e9212022-12-22T02:53:16ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182018-10-0110411710.3390/d10040117d10040117Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern GreenlandKathryn M. Schoenrock0Johanne Vad1Arley Muth2Danni M. Pearce3Brice R. Rea4J. Edward Schofield5Nicholas A. Kamenos6School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Gregory Building, Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKSchool of Engineering, Geosciences, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UKMarine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, College of Natural Sciences, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373-5015, USADepartment of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, UKGeography & Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UKGeography & Environment, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen AB24 3UF, UKSchool of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Gregory Building, Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UKAll marine communities in Greenland are experiencing rapid environmental change, and to understand the effects on those structured by seaweeds, baseline records are vital. The kelp and coralline algae habitats along Greenland’s coastlines are rarely studied, and we fill this knowledge gap for the area around Nuuk, west Greenland. Using subtidal swath surveys, photo-quadrats, and grab samples, we characterised the diversity of floral and faunal assemblages in kelp forests and coralline algae beds. The most abundant herbivore assemblages and the most diverse communities occur in the interstitial habitats of rhodolith beds. In kelp forests, species diversity is higher in epi-benthic (photo-quadrat) and mid-water (swath) surveys. These habitats are not mutually exclusive; <i>Agarum clathratum</i> is prominent in coralline algal habitats, while crustose coralline algae cover the bedrock under kelp holdfasts. Overall, the suite of surveys used capture the diverse communities within kelp forests and coralline algae in Greenland and their differing role in the life history of the inhabitants. Furthermore, coralline algae beds are an important carbonate store, with CaCO<sub>3</sub> concentrations ranging from 28.06 to 103.73 g·m<sup>−3</sup>. Our research sets the baseline for continued investigations and monitoring of these important habitats and their supported fisheries.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/10/4/117arcticcarbon sinkrhodolith bedsmarine assemblagesclimate change<i>Saccharina longicruris</i>ecosystem engineerecologyfisheriesfood-web |
| spellingShingle | Kathryn M. Schoenrock Johanne Vad Arley Muth Danni M. Pearce Brice R. Rea J. Edward Schofield Nicholas A. Kamenos Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland Diversity arctic carbon sink rhodolith beds marine assemblages climate change <i>Saccharina longicruris</i> ecosystem engineer ecology fisheries food-web |
| title | Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland |
| title_full | Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland |
| title_fullStr | Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland |
| title_short | Biodiversity of Kelp Forests and Coralline Algae Habitats in Southwestern Greenland |
| title_sort | biodiversity of kelp forests and coralline algae habitats in southwestern greenland |
| topic | arctic carbon sink rhodolith beds marine assemblages climate change <i>Saccharina longicruris</i> ecosystem engineer ecology fisheries food-web |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/10/4/117 |
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