• ALGAE
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.223-233
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• 2017

Kelp forests and the many vital ecosystem services they provide are threatened as the severity of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors continues to mount. Particularly in the North Pacific, sea surface temperature is warming and glacial melt is decreasing salinity. This study explored the resiliency of early life-history stages of these foundation species through a factorial laboratory experiment. The effects of rising sea surface temperature under low salinity conditions on kelp spore settlement and initial gametophyte growth in Eualaria fistulosa, Nereocystis luetkeana, and Saccharina latissima were investigated. Decreased settlement and growth were observed in these species at elevated temperatures and at low salinity. Eualaria fistulosa spores and gametophytes were the most negatively impacted, compared to the more widely distributed N. luetkeana and S. latissima. These results suggest that N. luetkeana and S. latissima could potentially outperform E. fistulosa under projected conditions. However, despite decreased performance among all species, our findings indicate that these species are largely resilient to temperature changes when exposed to a low salinity, even when the temperature changes are immediate and extreme. By exploring how early life-history stages of several key kelp species are impacted by dual stressors, this research enhances our understanding of how kelp forests will respond to projected and extreme changes in temperature when already stressed by low salinity.

• ALGAE
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2019

Anthropogenic disturbances, including coastal habitat modification and climate change are threatening the stability of kelp beds, one of the most diverse and productive marine ecosystems. To test the effect of temperature and irradiance on the microscopic gametophyte and juvenile sporophyte stages of the rare kelp, Saccharina angustissima, from Casco Bay, Maine, USA, we carried out two sets of experiments using a temperature gradient table. The first set of experiments combined temperatures between $7-18^{\circ}C$ with irradiance at 20, 40, and $80{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. The second set combined temperatures of $3-13^{\circ}C$ with irradiance of 10, 100, and $200{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. Over two separate 4-week trials, in 2014 and again in 2015, we monitored gametogenesis, the early growth stages of the gametophytes, and early sporophyte development of this kelp. Gametophytes grew best at temperatures of $8-13^{\circ}C$ at the lowest irradiance of $10-{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$. Light had a significant effect on both male and female gametophyte growth only at the higher temperatures. Temperatures of $8-15^{\circ}C$ and irradiance levels of $10-100{\mu}mol\;photons\;m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$ were conditions for the highest sporophyte growth. Sporophyte and male gametophyte growth was reduced at both temperature extremes-the hottest and coldest temperatures tested. S. angustissima is a unique kelp species known only from a very narrow geographic region along the coast of Maine, USA. The coupling of global warming with high light intensity effects might pose stress on the early life-history stages of this kelp, although, as an intertidal species, it could also be better adapted to temperature and light extremes than its subtidal counterpart, Saccharina latissima.

• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2012

Phlorotannins are common metabolites produced in kelps that can have deterrent functions against grazers. The factors dictating seasonal patterns of phlorotannin content in northeastern Pacific kelps are not well understood. This study assessed density and grazing of the gastropod Lacuna vincta on the annual canopy-forming kelp Nereocystis luetkeana and the perennial understory species Agarum clathratum, Saccharina latissima and S. groenlandica in Kachemak Bay, Alaska. In addition, we assessed seasonal patterns of environmental variables as possible drivers of phlorotannin concentrations. Phlorotannins occurred in all species, with overall lowest levels in N. luetkeana, and with different seasonal patterns among the four species. Lacuna vincta was most dense on N. luetkeana thalli in the summer and had highest grazing rates on this low-phlorotannin species. However, correlations between L. vincta density and phlorotannin content of each kelp species were not significant. Except for N. luetkeana, there were no correlations between phlorotannin levels and environmental variables. We suggest that kelp life history traits may be more important for phlorotannin patterns in these kelp species than grazers or environmental drivers.