The Kelp Forest Ecosystem

For my Marine Biology Ecosystem Project, I chose to research the Kelp Forest Ecosystem. This was made possible by the exhibits available at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The displays and exhibits allowed me to view the kelp forest from underwater where I was able to take photgraphs of various species that live within the ecosystem. Also, the touch pool was an interesting experience for me because I got to feel what many of the organisms felt like and see them up close without looking through a glass window.

Kelp Forests are most often found in the temperate regions of our planet where there is cold, nutrient-rich water, a rocky benthic seafloor, and in the photic zone. Locations of kelp forests include Australia, the west coast of North & South America, the North West Pacific regions, Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, and islands in the Southern Ocean.

First, we will start with explaining the three keystone species of this ecosystem: the sea otter, the sea urchin, and the kelp. Keystone species are organisms on which the rest of the ecosystem depends. Their presence is essential for the maintaning of the organization and diversity of the ecological communities to which they belong. 

 This is the sea otter. It's scientific name is Enhydra lutris nereis. It's diet consists of crabs, snails, urchins, clams, mussels and other invertebrates. Its size is around 4 feet long. Males are typically 70 pounds and females are usually around 50 pounds.

This is the sea urchin. It's scientific name is Echinoidea. The sea urchin mainly feeds on algae as well as decomposing matter such as dead fish, mussels, sponges, and barnacles. Its size is usually 3-10 centimeters.

This is the kelp. There are three kinds of kelp. First there is the Red algae or Rhodophyta. Red algae is typically a small sized algae that grows on rock, coral, animal shells, or other algae as single celled plants or plants that are filamental, branched, broad flat plates, or ruffled. The next kind of kelp is the Brown algae or Phaeophyta. Brown algae can be the largest and most complex of the algae with an anatomy usually consisting of a holdfast, stipe, and blades. Lastly, there is the Green algae or Chlorophyta. Green algae are usually small, often forming single-celled species, branched filaments, hollow balls of cells, or broad, flat sheets. Green algae are the algae that are most similar to plants.

Other species that live within this ecosyetem include:

Bat Star. It's scientific name is Asterina miniata. It's diet consists of a variety of plants and animals, either alive or dead. The bat star is typically up to eight inches across in size.

Melibe. It's scientific name is the Melibe leonina. It's diet consists of copepods, ostracods, and other small planktonic animals. It's size is typically around 4 inches.

Gumboot Chiton. It's scientific name is Cryptochiton stelleri. It's diet consists of red algae, sea lettuce, and giant kelp. It's size is usually around 13 inches.

Garibaldi. It's scientific name is Hypsypops rubicundus. It's diet includes sponges, coelenterates, bryozoa, worms, and nudibranchs. It's size is around 14 inches long.

Sea Cucumber. It's scientific name is Parastichopus californicus. It's diet consists of tiny particle algae, minute aquatic animals, or waste materials. Their size can be anywhere from 0.75 inches to 6.5 feet.

Decorator Crab. It's scientific name is Loxorhynchus crispatus. It's diet consists of algae, sponges, small crustaceans, bryozoans. Its size is around 5 inches.

Leopard Shark. It's scientific name is Triakis semifasciata. It's diet consists of clams, fish eggs, fat innkeeper worms, crabs, and fish. It's size is typically 4 to 7 feet with females being larger than the males.

Señorita. It's scientific name is Oxyjulis californica. It's diet consists of small invertebrates, hydroids, bryozoans, amphipods, parasitic copepods, and isopods. It's size is usually around 10 inches in length.

Giant Kelpfish. It's scientific name is Heterostichus rostratus. It's diet includes small crustaceans, fishes, and molluscs. It's size is around 2 feet in length.

California Sheephead. It's scientific name is Semicossyphus pulcher. It's diet consists of hard-shelled animals, such as sea urchins, molluscs, lobsters, and crabs. It's size is usually up to 3 feet in length and up to 36 pounds. The picture in the upper right is a male California Sheephead and the picture in the lower left is a Female California Sheephead.

Rockfish. It's scientific name is Sebastes spp. It's diet consists of plankton, small crustaceans, and fish. It's size is anywere from 5 to 41 inches long depending on the species.

Kelp Bass. It's scientific name is Paralabrax clathratus. It's diet consists of small fishes, squid, and crustaceans. It's size is typically 28.5 inches in length.

Wolf-eel. Its scientific name is Anarrhichthys ocellatus. It's diet consists of sea urchins, hard-shelled invertebrates, snails, and several other fishes. It's size is usually around 8 feet long.

 Swell Shark. It's scientific name is Cephaloscyllium ventriosum. It's diet consists mainly of small fish. It's size is typically under 4 feet in length. The picture below is of the egg case that the swell shark is born from. Swell sharks lay eggs that resemble a drawstring purse that hatch after about 7 to 10 months.

Red Volcano Sponge. It's scientific name is Acarnus erithacus. It's diet consists of small organic particles, bacteria, and microscopic algae. It's size may vary.

Orange Puffball Sponge. It's scientific name is Tethya californiana.  It's diet consists of small organic particles, bacteria, and microscopic algae. It's size may vary.

 Red Gorgonian. It's scientific name is Diodogorgia nodulifera. It's diet consists of tiny animals. It's size is usually somewhere around 3 feet.

Kellet's Whelk. It's scientific name is Kelletia kelleti. Their diet consists of animals that have been trapped in lobster traps as well as horn shark eggs. Their size may vary from 3 to 7 inches.

Bluebanded Goby. It's scientific name is Lythrypnus dalli. Their diet consists of small crustaceans. Their size is usually somewhere around 6.5 centimeters in length.

Rock Scallop. It's scientific name is Hinnites giganteus. It's diet consists of plankton. Its size is usually around 5 inches.

Giant Spined Star. It's scientific name is Pisaster giganteus. It's diet includes clinocardium cockles, clams, snails, sand dollars, banacles, tubicolous polychaetes, as well as dead fish and squid. Their size can be up to 60 centimeters in diameter. An aquarium worker told me that this particular spined star has been regenerating its 3 limbs for the past nine months, which is something that sea stars have an ability to do.

California Hydrocoral. It's scientific name is Stylaster californicus. Their diet consists of microzooplankton, bacterial particulates, and small particulate organic matter. They vary in size.

Below are diagrams showing the food web of a kelp forest ecosystem as well as a trophic level pyramid to show the flow of energy.