Wear Brigitte, O'Connor Nessa E, Schmid Matthias J, Jackson Michelle C
Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK.
Somerville College Oxford UK.
Ecol Evol. 2023 Jun 26;13(6):e10203. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10203. eCollection 2023 Jun.
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.
作为初级生产者和生态系统工程师，海带（一般为海带目）在生态方面具有重要意义，其数量减少可能会产生深远影响。海带对于形成鱼类和无脊椎动物的栖息地很有价值，并且通过构建海岸防御以及提供碳固存和食物供应等关键功能，对于适应气候变化至关重要。海带受到多种压力因素的威胁，如气候变化、对捕食者的过度捕捞以及污染。在这篇观点论文中，我们讨论了这些压力因素可能如何相互作用以影响海带，以及在不同背景下这种影响如何变化。我们认为需要更多将海带保护与多重压力因素理论联系起来的研究，并概述了应优先解决的关键问题。例如，了解先前的暴露（无论是对前代还是生命阶段）如何决定对新出现的压力因素的反应，以及海带的反应如何扩大规模以改变食物网和生态系统功能，这很重要。通过以这种方式增加海带研究的时间和生物学复杂性，我们将增进理解从而做出更好的预测。这项研究对于在我们迅速变化的世界中有效保护海带并进行潜在的恢复至关重要。
