Marine Biology Commons^™

Sources And Supply Of Kelp Detritus : Quantifying Mechanisms Of Production, Thibaut De Bettignies

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In temperate waters, rocky reefs dominated by extremely productive kelp beds export considerable primary production. Despite the extensive body of work on kelp detritus as a trophic subsidy, many questions remain about the production of this detritus. The aim of this thesis was to determine the rate and mechanisms of kelp detritus production, for Ecklonia radiata, the dominant kelp species in temperate Australia. Most of the work was conducted in Marmion Lagoon located 20 km North of Perth, south-western Western Australia, a region strongly influenced by oceanic swell and winter storms. The study comprised of four major components: the impact …