What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?

As primary producers and ecosystem engineers, kelp (generally Order Laminariales) are ecologically important, and their decline could have far-reaching consequences. Kelp are valuable in forming habitats for fish and invertebrates and are crucial for adaptation to climate change by creating coastal...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wear, B, O'Connor, NE, Schmid, MJ, Jackson, MC
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023
_version_ 1826311395022471168
author Wear, B
O'Connor, NE
Schmid, MJ
Jackson, MC
author_facet Wear, B
O'Connor, NE
Schmid, MJ
Jackson, MC
author_sort Wear, B
collection OXFORD
description As primary producers and ecosystem engineers, kelp (generally Order Laminariales) are ecologically important, and their decline could have far-reaching consequences. Kelp are valuable in forming habitats for fish and invertebrates and are crucial for adaptation to climate change by creating coastal defenses and in providing key functions, such as carbon sequestration and food provision. Kelp are threatened by multiple stressors, such as climate change, over-harvesting of predators, and pollution. In this opinion paper, we discuss how these stressors may interact to affect kelp, and how this varies under different contexts. We argue that more research that bridges kelp conservation and multiple stressor theory is needed and outline key questions that should be addressed as a priority. For instance, it is important to understand how previous exposure (either to earlier generations or life stages) determines responses to emerging stressors, and how responses in kelp scale up to alter food webs and ecosystem functioning. By increasing the temporal and biological complexity of kelp research in this way, we will improve our understanding allowing better predictions. This research is essential for the effective conservation and potential restoration of kelp in our rapidly changing world.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T08:09:12Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:2f13e03c-98f8-426b-a0d8-49e3ce584c79
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T08:09:12Z
publishDate 2023
publisher Wiley
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:2f13e03c-98f8-426b-a0d8-49e3ce584c792023-11-14T15:06:19ZWhat does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:2f13e03c-98f8-426b-a0d8-49e3ce584c79EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2023Wear, BO'Connor, NESchmid, MJJackson, MCAs primary producers and ecosystem engineers, kelp (generally Order Laminariales) are ecologically important, and their decline could have far-reaching consequences. Kelp are valuable in forming habitats for fish and invertebrates and are crucial for adaptation to climate change by creating coastal defenses and in providing key functions, such as carbon sequestration and food provision. Kelp are threatened by multiple stressors, such as climate change, over-harvesting of predators, and pollution. In this opinion paper, we discuss how these stressors may interact to affect kelp, and how this varies under different contexts. We argue that more research that bridges kelp conservation and multiple stressor theory is needed and outline key questions that should be addressed as a priority. For instance, it is important to understand how previous exposure (either to earlier generations or life stages) determines responses to emerging stressors, and how responses in kelp scale up to alter food webs and ecosystem functioning. By increasing the temporal and biological complexity of kelp research in this way, we will improve our understanding allowing better predictions. This research is essential for the effective conservation and potential restoration of kelp in our rapidly changing world.
spellingShingle Wear, B
O'Connor, NE
Schmid, MJ
Jackson, MC
What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title_full What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title_fullStr What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title_full_unstemmed What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title_short What does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors?
title_sort what does the future look like for kelp when facing multiple stressors
work_keys_str_mv AT wearb whatdoesthefuturelooklikeforkelpwhenfacingmultiplestressors
AT oconnorne whatdoesthefuturelooklikeforkelpwhenfacingmultiplestressors
AT schmidmj whatdoesthefuturelooklikeforkelpwhenfacingmultiplestressors
AT jacksonmc whatdoesthefuturelooklikeforkelpwhenfacingmultiplestressors