Every couple of months the Marine Ranger will produce a fact sheet to help you learn more about a particular animal that can be found in the Reserve.

| Kelp forests | Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) | Ballan Wrasse (Labrus bergylta) | Dead Men�s Fingers (Alcyonium digitatum) | Snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) | Jewel Anemone (Corynactis viridis) | The Lumpsucker, lumpfish or sea hen (Cyclopterus lumpus) |

Kelp forests

Kelp (Laminiaria hyperborea) is a large, brown macroalgae, and a familiar sight on most dives within the Marine Reserve. Where it grows in a high density it forms kelp forest, which is one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. The kelp forest provides shelter; nursery grounds; protection and a home for a wide variety of marine plants and animals.

Kelp has a holdfast (a root-like structure) that anchors the kelp to the sea floor; blades (leaf-like structures) split into a number of straps; and a stipe (a stem-like structure) that connects the holdfast to the fronds. The stipe is often covered with numerous attached plants and animals, so the kelp itself provides a physical substrate and habitat for kelp forest communities. Look closely and you will see sea mats; hydroids; red seaweeds; nudibranchs; sea urchins; and a host of other creatures inhabiting this underwater seaweed city!

Kelp needs a hard substrate; light and nutrients to be able to survive. It is present around all UK coasts and temperate seas worldwide where suitable conditions allow. Some giant kelp species can grow up to 30m in length, although the kelp we encounter on our dives in the Reserve rarely exceeds 2m.

Kelp is harvested for a substance called algin, which has a wide variety of food, cosmetic and industrial applications. Algin is even used to stabilise the foam on beer! Due to their large biomass and relatively long survival, kelp forests are an efficient sink (storage location) for atmospheric carbon dioxide, often referred to as �blue carbon storage�.

Kelp are grazed on by a number of herbivores, the most notable being the sea urchin. Overfishing can contribute to kelp forest degradation as removal of higher trophic predators, such as lobsters and large fishes, allows urchin populations to increase and over-graze the kelp, leading to a barren underwater landscape with low biodiversity.

So next time you are on a dive, have a good rummage beneath the brown, slippery fronds to see what lurks beneath the canopy, and remember, there is much more to this seaweed than meets the eye.