Ecklonia maxima in the De Hoop MPA lessons for the management of MPAs Mark Rothman and Rob Anderson DAFF Ecklonia radiata ex E biruncinata Small to about 60 cm Solid stipe ID: 543042
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "The appearance of the west coast kelp" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
The appearance of the west coast kelp
Ecklonia maxima in the De Hoop MPA: lessons for the management of MPAs
Mark Rothman and Rob AndersonDAFFSlide2
Ecklonia
radiata (ex E. biruncinata)
Small – to about 60 cmSolid stipe
Fronds spiny and ridged, or smooth
Intertidal pools and gulleys, to 1-2m depth
De Hoop to Port Edward (but also deep False Bay, Agulhas Bank, even N KZN?)Slide3
Ecklonia maxima
Large – stipes one to many metres long (max. 15m!)Stipes hollowFronds smoothGulleys
and reef down to > 10m (very seldom in intertidal pools)
Historical distribution:North of Lüderitz to 10 km west of Cape
Agulhas (Papkuilsfontein).
(Eastern limit seen by Papenfuss in 1937, and reported in his 1942 paper. Confirmed
by Anderson & Bolton in 1987, observing
from a low-flying helicopter). Slide4
Ecklonia
maxima at
Koppie Alleen
Not easily missed!
No previous records there (publications, observations, collecting lists) Was not there in 2004, 2005, 2006(student field trips)
Was there in Aug 2008 (and since then)
Large – 1-2m stipes (at De Hoop)
Stipes hollow
Fronds smooth
Chokes many
gulleys
Slide5
African Journal of Marine Science 2012, 34(1): 147–151South African kelp moving eastwards: the discovery of
Ecklonia maxima(Osbeck) Papenfuss at De Hoop Nature Reserve on the south coast ofSouth AfricaJJ Bolton, RJ Anderson, AJ Smit and MD
RothmanHistorical and recent evidence is documented to demonstrate that the eastern limit of the major kelp-bed
forming seaweed Ecklonia maxima
has moved c. 73 km eastward along the south coast of South Africa since 2006, after remaining
unchanged for almost 70 years. A
significant population
has established at Koppie
Alleen
, De Hoop Nature Reserve, which has been monitored from 2008 to 2011. It is hypothesised that the eastward spread is
limited by
aspects of the
inshore
water temperature regime, and
recent evidence suggests that gradual cooling along this coast may have caused the change in distribution. It seems likely that if a cooling trend continues along the South African south coast, kelp beds and their associated species will move farther eastward in future decades, affecting the ecology and livelihoods along this coast.Slide6
Another example: Lunella
(ex Turbo) coronatusLarge, distinctive tropical/subtropical gastropod Previously recorded from tropics down to southern KZN
Now at
Dwesa (Mendu Pt and
Kobole Mouth) – plentiful (R Anderson, Sept 2016). (200 km range extension? Confirmed by George Branch). Slide7
Easily recognisable, large organisms
appear in an MPA, but are only noticed by accident 2. What do these appearances mean?
Is the water at De Hoop cooling?I
s the water at Dwesa warming?
Biological
monitoring
Environmental
monitoring
(Temperature?)
Two important points emergeSlide8
Monitoring vs research
MonitoringResearchDescriptive
Hypothesis-driven (pressure) Long-term
Usually short-termNo pressure to publish?Pressure to publish
Suitable for “Citizen Science” e.g. the CREW* model?Not really suitable for “Citizen Science”.
* Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers programmeSlide9
An example of hypothesis –driven researchSlide10
Why look at seaweeds?
No direct threats (insignificant exploitation)Reds, greens and browns = 3 distinct phylogenetic lineages (3 phyla)Seaweeds occupy all sorts of hard substrataSessile, reasonably long-lived (months
to years)Geog. distribution controlled by temperatureWe have good distribution data for SA (many
biogeog publications, and updated database)Slide11
South coast 50 km strips – clustering by seaweed species
Cluster analysis. Each cluster with at least one MPA. (
Jaccard
:
Average linkage)
De Hoop
Stilbaai
Goukamma
Tsitsikamma
Addo
Kei
Hluleka
Pondoland
Sardinia B
RobbergSlide12
Easily recognisable, large organisms
appear in an MPA, but are only noticed by accident 2. What do these appearances mean?
Is the water at De Hoop cooling?I
s the water at Dwesa warming?
Biological
monitoring
Environmental
monitoring
(Temperature?)
Two important points emergeSlide13
Suggestions for biological monitoring (intertidal?)
Fixed sitesPhotographsSimple measurements/counts Exploited spp
(limpets, alikreukel,
Haliotis, mussels, etc.)
Indicator or keystone species (sessile?)Checking and curating the data
Feed results to researchers
Constraints:
Money, time and trained staff!Slide14
Suggestions for physical/environmental monitoring
Fixed sitesShores and estuariesSimple measurements Temperature (excellent loggers available). SAEON?Sand movement (photos, reference points)
Checking and curating the data
Encouraging and supporting research Others may notice changes
Align physical and biological monitoring sites?Constraints:
Money, time and trained staff!Slide15
Mkambathi
, 2015ConclusionWe need basic monitoring in MPAs – and outside them!