Whenever the word ecosystem is mentioned, most people think of terrestrial systems; many often forget that ecosystems also exist underwater. An ecosystem, according to National Geographic, “is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life”. Ecosystems underwater are different from those on land, but they are not of any less importance. Let us find out more about underwater ecosystems; where they exist, and how they look like.
Underwater ecosystems are known as marine ecosystems; each characterized by its unique animals, plants, and microbes. Differences between marine ecosystems can be related to the amount of sunlight in the ecosystem, if it is near the land or deep in the ocean, the temperature, etc. There is disagreement among scientists when it comes to their diverse types; some of the agreed-upon marine ecosystems include estuaries, mangrove forests, coral reefs, kelp forests, salt marshes, the deep-sea ocean, and the open ocean.
If you have watched Disney Pixar’s Finding Dory, you would probably be familiar with how kelp forests look like. Yes, it is that place with long dense plants at Morro Bay, California, next to the fictional Marine Life Institute, where Dory searches for her parents. In fact, Kelp forests do exist at the same location, along the West Coastlines of the Americas, beside other areas around the globe. Kelp depends on light to perform photosynthesis, so they mainly exist in relatively shallow waters.
Kelps are giant fast-growing marine algae; they belong to the brown algae group known as Phaeophyta. Kelp forests are highly dynamic and productive ecosystems that provide a living environment for invertebrates, fish, and marine mammals. Gray whales use them as a shelter for their young.
Kelp is covered with a slimy mucus rich in organic compounds, which encourages the growth of bacteria and eventually forms the building blocks of the food chain. If there is one word that can perfectly describe the kelp forest, it is “diversity”; it hosts numerous types of marine animals and plants.
A significant and unique example of these sea forest ecosystems is the Great African Sea Forest, which extends for 1000 kilometers from Cape Town, South Africa, to Namibia, and is almost 100 meters wide. This is one of the most important sea forests in the world, as it provides shelter and food for many species including sharks and the abalone, an endangered sea snail. In an article published in the CNN website, Craig Foster, a filmmaker and a diver, talks about the wonders of this Sea Forest and the need to conserve it. So, what makes the African Sea Forest unique? It is simply the “only forest of giant bamboo kelp on our planet”.
Unfortunately, kelp has seen a 75% reduction in some areas due to pollution, human activity, climate change, among other reasons. Among the dangers that face kelp is the “Sea Star Wasting Disease”. Sea urchins feed on kelp; normally, sea stars, a predator of sea urchins, keep their number balanced. However, this disease causes the predator numbers to decrease and the prey to feast on kelp.
Like terrestrial forests, sea forests are vital habitats for huge numbers of marine species; they are a vital source of food for sea animals. Not to mention their importance for human settlements and bird nesting sites near the shores, which they protect by dampening the effects of waves and preventing erosion of the coastline. Without doubt, kelp forests deserve and need our protection.
References
aquarium.co.za
edition.cnn.com
nationalgeographic.com
oceanservice.noaa.gov
workingabroad.com