Consequences Of Kelp Forest Structure And Dynamics For Epiphytes And Understory Communities

Download or read book Consequences of Kelp Forest Structure and Dynamics for Epiphytes and Understory Communities written by Katherine Kimberlin Arkema and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I investigated the relationship between giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, a large and dynamic structure-forming organism on temperate reefs, and the species that live beneath its canopy and on its surfaces. In particular, my research focused on how the attenuating effect of kelp on light influences the structure and dynamics of the understory community, and how the dampening effect of kelp on currents influences spatial variation in the abundance and demography of a suspension-feeding epiphyte, the colonial and encrusting bryozoan, Membranipora serrilamella.