Abstract The stipitate kelp, Laminaria hyperborea , functions as a foundation species on wave-exposed rocky reefs across the northeast (NE) Atlantic, where it forms extensive forests and plays a crucial role in the wider coastal ecosystem. While kelp forest structure, carbon standing stock (CSS), and the environmental factors that influence them have been described for western and northern coasts of the United Kingdom (UK), there is limited knowledge of how kelp forests are structured along the North Sea coastline of the UK. Here we investigated the influence of depth and spatial variability on kelp forest structure at the individual and population level in NE England and southeast (SE) Scotland and compared estimates of L. hyperborea CSS for these regions with other regions of the UK. We found significant variation in L. hyperborea forest structure across depth gradients and over small spatial scales. Deeper forests exhibited reduced kelp densities and smaller individuals with lower biomass. L. hyperborea forest structure and CSS varied significantly over small spatial scales, highlighting the importance of local environmental conditions as drivers of kelp forest structure. These environmental conditions also vary over latitudinal gradients, resulting in patterns in kelp forest metrics across the distribution of L. hyperborea in the UK. Measurements of kelp forest structure in NE England and SE Scotland closely aligned with previous findings, with certain metrics surpassing previous records. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of UK North Sea kelp forests and provide an important baseline to detect future changes and inform management and conservation efforts.

Marine Protected Area (MPA) effectiveness depends on both coverage of species distributions and protection levels. It remains unclear whether Europe’s expanding MPA network adequately represents biodiversity now and as species redistribute under climate change. We provide the first pan-European assessment integrating MPA Guide protection levels with modelled present and future distributions for over 9,000 marine species. MPAs currently cover ~11 % of pan-European seas but encompass ~25% of species’ ranges, indicating preferential placement in biodiversity-rich areas. Representation remains stable under end-century projections (SSP2-4.5), and species at high climate risk generally retain or increase MPA coverage, suggesting protection of climatic refugia. However, < 1 % of species’ distributions fall within areas restricting harmful practices such as fishing. Europe’s MPA network is well placed for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience but weakly protected, limiting its conservation impact and highlighting the need to strengthen management and strategically expand effectively protected and climate-resilient areas.

Kelp forests are among the most extensive and productive coastal ecosystems, yet they remain underrepresented in global conservation policy despite widespread declines driven by interacting global- (i.e., ocean warming, marine heatwaves) to local-scale stressors. At the same time, kelp conservation and restoration efforts are expanding rapidly across regions, but measures of success and syntheses tend to primarily focus on ecological conditions and trends, not on conservation and restoration actions. To fill this gap, we developed a comparative global dataset of kelp conservation initiatives based on expert-derived regional narratives from 209 participants spanning 35 regions with kelp forests. We applied a structured presence–absence scoring framework across six domains: conservation actions, restoration approaches, governance actors, conservation objectives, social dimensions, and funding structures, supplemented by regional expert knowledge to enable cross-regional comparison. Across regions, conservation was characterised by strong emphasis on monitoring (86

Kelp forests are important ecosystem engineers in temperate and sub-polar regions, providing ecosystem services valued at billions of dollars annually. In Chile, over 72,000 tons/yr of wet subtidal kelp (Lessonia trabeculata) are harvested annually for the alginate industry, yet its chemical variation remains poorly understood. In this study we examined the alginate content and nutritional profile (i.e., proximal analyses) across different kelp morphological structures (holdfasts and stipes) over 8 months in Las Cruces, Central Chile (33 degrees SL). Each month, tissue from six sporophytes was pooled and averaged, resulting in eight independent samples (n = 8 months), with each sample analyzed in triplicate. Results revealed significant variability between kelp morphological structures and across seasons. Alginate and carbohydrate concentrations peaked in austral summer, with patterns of interannual variation identified. Protein and fiber contents were higher than those in other kelp species, peaking in spring and summer, while lipid concentration peaked in autumn but remained relatively stable yearround. All compounds were generally more abundant in holdfasts. These findings suggest a potential for extracting high-value compounds, such as proteins, from L. trabeculata beyond the current alginate focus. Interannual variations as well as corresponding trends between kelp composition and physico-chemical properties of surface seawater were also observed, highlighting the need for further research to understand and predict these patterns better. These findings could help pinpoint the best harvesting times for specific chemical profiles, boosting profitability while reducing environmental impacts.

Oxygen is vital for marine life. Despite global ocean deoxygenation, coastal oxygen dynamics are poorly understood. We synthesise the biological and mechanical processes that shape the coastal oxyscape and how organisms respond to it. Oxygen availability can determine species ecophysiology and affect population dynamics and ecological interactions. We propose a novel conceptual framework to reassess oxygen as a resource that is both density-independent and density-dependent, and identify spatial and temporal patterns of competition in coastal ecosystems. Our framework aims to (i) advance eco-evolutionary theory, (ii) improve species distribution models, (iii) inform effective conservation strategies, and (iv) enhance insight into coastal ecosystem-level responses to oxygen fluctuations, thereby advancing our understanding of environmental complexity under climate change, which in turn can guide management.

IntroductionTo counteract the rapid loss of marine forests globally and meet international commitments of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Convention on Biological Diversity ‘30 by 30’ targets, there is an urgent need to enhance our capacity for macroalgal restoration. The Green Gravel Action Group (GGAG) is a global network of 67 members that are working on the restoration of a diverse range of macroalgal forests and it aims to facilitate knowledge exchange to fast-track innovation and implementation of outplanting approaches worldwide. MethodsHere, we overview 25 projects conducted by members of the group that are focused on testing and developing techniques for macroalgal restoration. Based on these projects, we summarise the major challenges associated with scaling up the area of marine forests restored. ResultsWe identify several critical challenges that currently impede more widespread rollout of effective large-scale macroalgal restoration worldwide: 1) funding and capacity limitations, 2) difficulties arising from conditions at restoration sites, 3) technical barriers, and 4) challenges at the restoration-policy interface. DiscussionDespite these challenges, there has been substantial progress, with an increasing number of efforts, community engagement and momentum towards scaling up activities in recent years. Drawing on the collective expertise of the GGAG, we outline key recommendations for the scaling up of restoration efforts to match the goals of international commitments. These include the establishment of novel pathways to fund macroalgal restoration activities, building skills and capacity, harnessing emerging innovations in mobile hatchery and seeding technologies, and the development of the scientific and governance frameworks necessary to implement and monitor macroalgal restoration projects at scale.

In the marine environment, greening of grey infrastructure (GGI) is a rapidly growing field that attempts to encourage native marine life to colonize marine artificial structures to enhance biodiversity, thereby promoting ecosystem functioning and hence service provision. By designing multifunctional sea defences, breakwaters, port complexes and off-shore renewable energy installations, these structures can yield myriad environmental benefits, in particular, addressing UN SDG 14: Life below water. Whilst GGI has shown great promise and there is a growing evidence base, there remain many criticisms and knowledge gaps, and some feel that there is scope for GGI to be abused by developers to facilitate harmful development. Given the surge of research in this field in recent years, it is timely to review the literature to provide an update update on the state-of-the-art of the field in relation to the many criticisms and identify remaining knowledge gaps. Despite the rapid and significant advances made in this field, there is currently a lack of science and practice outside of academic sectors in the developed world, and there is a collective need for schemes that encourage intersectoral and transsectoral research, knowledge exchange, and capacity building to optimize GGI in the pursuit of contributing to sustainable development.

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While marine kelp forests have provided valuable ecosystem services for millennia, the global ecological and economic value of those services is largely unresolved. Kelp forests are diminishing in many regions worldwide, and efforts to manage these ecosystems are hindered without accurate estimates of the value of the services that kelp forests provide to human societies. Here, we present a global estimate of the ecological and economic potential of three key ecosystem services - fisheries production, nutrient cycling, and carbon removal provided by six major forest forming kelp genera (Ecklonia, Laminaria, Lessonia, Macrocystis, Nereocystis, and Saccharina). Each of these genera creates a potential value of between $64,400 and $147,100/hectare each year. Collectively, they generate between $465 and $562 billion/year worldwide, with an average of $500 billion. These values are primarily driven by fisheries production (mean $29,900, 904 Kg/Ha/year) and nitrogen removal ($73,800, 657 Kg N/Ha/year), though kelp forests are also estimated to sequester 4.91 megatons of carbon from the atmosphere/year highlighting their potential as blue carbon systems for climate change mitigation. These findings highlight the ecological and economic value of kelp forests to society and will facilitate better informed marine management and conservation decisions.

Aim Macroalgal habitats are believed to be the most extensive and productive of all coastal vegetated ecosystems. In stark contrast to the growing attention on their contribution to carbon export and sequestration, understanding of their global extent and production is limited and these have remained poorly assessed for decades. Here we report a first data-driven assessment of the global extent and production of macroalgal habitats based on modelled and observed distributions and net primary production (NPP) across habitat types. Location Global coastal ocean. Time period Contemporary. Major taxa studied Macroalgae. Methods Here we apply a comprehensive niche model to generate an improved global map of potential macroalgal distribution, constrained by incident light on the seafloor and substrate type. We compiled areal net primary production (NPP) rates across macroalgal habitats from the literature and combined this with our estimates of the global extent of these habitats to calculate global macroalgal NPP. Results We show that macroalgal forests are a major biome with a global area of 6.06-7.22 million km(2), dominated by red algae, and NPP of 1.32 Pg C/year, dominated by brown algae. Main conclusions The global macroalgal biome is comparable, in area and NPP, to the Amazon forest, but is globally distributed as a thin strip around shorelines. Macroalgae are expanding in polar, subpolar and tropical areas, where their potential extent is also largest, likely increasing the overall contribution of algal forests to global carbon sequestration.

Coastal ecosystems are threatened by habitat loss and anthropogenic “smoothing” as hard engineering approaches to sea defence, such as sea-walls, rock armouring, and offshore reefs, become common place. These artificial structures use homogenous materials (e.g. concrete or quarried rock) and as a result, lack the surface heterogeneity of natural rocky shoreline known to play a key role in niche creation and higher species diversity. Despite significant investment and research into soft engineering and ecologically sensitive approaches to coastal development, there are still knowledge gaps, particularly in relation to how patterns that are observed in nature can be utilised to improve artificial shores. Given the technical improvements and significant reductions in cost within the portable remote sensing field (structure from motion and laser scanning), we are now able to plug gaps in our understanding of how habitat heterogeneity can influence overall site diversity. These improvements represent an excellent opportunity to improve our understanding of the spatial scales and complexity of habitats that species occur within and ultimately improve the ecological design of engineered structures in areas experiencing “smoothing” and habitat loss. In this talk, I will highlight how advances in remote sensing techniques can be applied to context-specific ecological problems, such as low diversity and loss of rare species within marine infrastructure. I will describe our approach to combining large-scale ecological, 3D geophysical and engineering research to design statistically-derived ecologically-inspired solutions to smooth artificial surfaces. We created experimental concrete enhancement units and deployed them at a number of coastal locations. I will present preliminary ecological results, provide a workflow of unit development and statistical approaches, and finally discuss how these advances may improve future ecological intervention and design options.

Compelling new evidence shows that kelp production contributes an important and underappreciated flux of carbon in the ocean. Major questions remain, however, about the controls on the cycling of this organic carbon in the coastal zone, and their implications for future carbon sequestration. Here we used field experiments distributed across 28° latitude, and the entire range of two dominant kelps in the northern hemisphere, to measure decomposition rates of kelp detritus on the seafloor in relation to environmental factors. Ocean temperature was the strongest control on detritus decomposition in both species, and it was positively related to decomposition. This suggests that decomposition could accelerate with ocean warming under climate change, increasing remineralization and reducing overall kelp carbon sequestration. However, we also demonstrate the potential for high kelp-carbon storage in cooler (northern) regions, which could be targeted by climate mitigation strategies to expand blue carbon sinks.

Rates and drivers of primary productivity are well understood for many terrestrial ecosystems, but remain poorly resolved for many marine ecosystems, particularly those within in coastal benthic environments. We quantified net primary productivity (NPP) using two methods as well as carbon standing stock within kelp forests ( Laminaria hyperborea ) at multiple subtidal habitats in the United Kingdom (UK). Study sites spanned 9° in latitude and encompassed a gradient in average temperature of ~ 2.5 °C. In addition to temperature, we measured other factors (e.g. light intensity, water motion, nutrients, sea urchin density) that may influence productivity. Although estimates of NPP were highly variable between sites, ranging from 166 to 738 g C m -2 yr -1 , our study-wide average of 340 g C m -2 yr -1 indicated that L. hyperborea forests are highly productive. We observed clear differences between NPP and carbon standing stock between our cold northernmost sites and our warm southernmost sites, with NPP and standing stock being around 1.5 and 2.5 times greater in the northern sites, respectively. Ocean temperature was identified as a likely driver of productivity, with reduced NPP and standing stock observed in warmer waters. Light availability was also strongly linked with carbon accumulation and storage, with increased light levels positively correlated with NPP and standing stock. Across its geographical range, total NPP from L. hyperborea is estimated at ~ 7.61 Tg C yr -1 . This biomass production is likely to be important for local food webs, as a trophic subsidy to distant habitats and for inshore carbon cycling and (potentially) carbon sequestration. However, given the strong links with temperature, continued ocean warming in the northeast Atlantic may reduce primary productivity of this foundation species, as optimal temperatures for growth and performance are surpassed.

Event Abstract Back to Event Disentangling latitudinal diversity gradients in Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Functional diversity of Atlantic reef fishes Nestor E. Bosch1, 2*, Thomas Wernberg1, 2, Timothy J. Langlois1, 2, Dan A. Smale3, Pippa J. Moore4, 5, João N. Franco6, Pierre Thiriet7, Eric Feunteun8, Claudia Ribeiro9, 10, Pedro Neves9, 10, Rui Freitas11, Karen Filbee-Dexter1, 2, 12, Kjell Magnus Norderhaug12, Alvaro Garcia Lazzati13, Francisco Otero-Ferrer13, Fernando Espino13, Ricardo Haroun13 and Fernando Tuya13 1 Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Australia 2 School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Australia 3 The Citadel Hill Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom 4 Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom 5 Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Australia 6 Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research, Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal 7 University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, France 8 Université Côte d'Azur, France 9 Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), Portugal 10 Observatório Oceânico da Madeira (OOM), Portugal 11 University of Cape Verde, Cape Verde 12 Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway 13 University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain The rate of biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene have triggered a research agenda that move beyond the description of global patterns and drivers of species diversity (i.e. taxonomic diversity - TD) to the distribution of phylogenies (i.e. phylogenetic diversity - PD) and functional traits (i.e. functional diversity - FD). Understanding the complementarity between these three biodiversity facets have provided important insights in biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships and community assembly mechanisms, and provide a useful framework for conservation planning of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Yet, empirical studies for marine fishes covering broad latitudinal gradients remain scarce. Importantly, understanding regional differences in the macroevolutionary context over which these diversity patterns have arisen can provide important insights into the balance between scale-dependent community assembly processes - i.e. competition vs. environmental filtering. Here, using standardized underwater visual census techniques, we compiled an extensive quantitative dataset on eastern Atlantic shallow-water reef-dwelling fishes (148 species within 48 families, including bony and cartilaginous fishes) covering a latitudinal extent of 0° to 60° (including 66 sites within 6 marine ecoregions). We used the unique historical and biogeographic context of the eastern Atlantic basin to: i). test for congruency in latitudinal diversity gradients between TD, PD and FD, ii). investigate the level of phylogenetic overdispersion vs. phylogenetic clustering across different ecoregions. We hypothesized that environmental filtering play a major role in shaping the structure of fish assemblages at cool-temperate ecoregions (North Sea and Celtic Seas), generating assemblages in which the constituent species are more related than chance (i.e. phylogenetic clustering). Whilst, in warm-temperate (South European Atlantic Shelf, Macaronesia) and tropical ecoregions (Gulf of Guinea Islands, Cape Verde) competition have been the major structuring force, generating assemblages in which the constituent species are less related than chance (i.e. phylogenetic overdispersion or evenness). In summary, this study represents a novel approach to understand mechanisms of generation of diversity, in a relatively understudied ocean basin. Acknowledgements We acknowledge the extensive network of collaborators involved in gathering this dataset Keywords: Biodiversity, Reef fishes, community assembly, Eastern Atlantic, Trait conservatism Conference: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Ecology, Biodiversity and Vulnerable Ecosystems Citation: Bosch NE, Wernberg T, Langlois TJ, Smale DA, Moore PJ, Franco JN, Thiriet P, Feunteun E, Ribeiro C, Neves P, Freitas R, Filbee-Dexter K, Norderhaug K, Garcia Lazzati A, Otero-Ferrer F, Espino F, Haroun R and Tuya F (2019). Disentangling latitudinal diversity gradients in Taxonomic, Phylogenetic, and Functional diversity of Atlantic reef fishes. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) . doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.08.00020 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 01 May 2019; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019. * Correspondence: PhD. Nestor E Bosch, Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia, 22373243@student.uwa.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Nestor E Bosch Thomas Wernberg Timothy J Langlois Dan A Smale Pippa J Moore João N Franco Pierre Thiriet Eric Feunteun Claudia Ribeiro Pedro Neves Rui Freitas Karen Filbee-Dexter Kjell Magnus Norderhaug Alvaro Garcia Lazzati Francisco Otero-Ferrer Fernando Espino Ricardo Haroun Fernando Tuya Google Nestor E Bosch Thomas Wernberg Timothy J Langlois Dan A Smale Pippa J Moore João N Franco Pierre Thiriet Eric Feunteun Claudia Ribeiro Pedro Neves Rui Freitas Karen Filbee-Dexter Kjell Magnus Norderhaug Alvaro Garcia Lazzati Francisco Otero-Ferrer Fernando Espino Ricardo Haroun Fernando Tuya Google Scholar Nestor E Bosch Thomas Wernberg Timothy J Langlois Dan A Smale Pippa J Moore João N Franco Pierre Thiriet Eric Feunteun Claudia Ribeiro Pedro Neves Rui Freitas Karen Filbee-Dexter Kjell Magnus Norderhaug Alvaro Garcia Lazzati Francisco Otero-Ferrer Fernando Espino Ricardo Haroun Fernando Tuya PubMed Nestor E Bosch Thomas Wernberg Timothy J Langlois Dan A Smale Pippa J Moore João N Franco Pierre Thiriet Eric Feunteun Claudia Ribeiro Pedro Neves Rui Freitas Karen Filbee-Dexter Kjell Magnus Norderhaug Alvaro Garcia Lazzati Francisco Otero-Ferrer Fernando Espino Ricardo Haroun Fernando Tuya Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. 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AimTo assess confidence in conclusions about climate-driven biological change through time, and identify approaches for strengthening confidence scientific conclusions about ecological impacts of climate change.LocationGlobal.MethodsWe outlined a framework for strengthening confidence in inferences drawn from biological climate impact studies through the systematic integration of prior expectations, long-term data and quantitative statistical procedures. We then developed a numerical confidence index (C-index) and used it to evaluate current practices in 208 studies of marine climate impacts comprising 1735 biological time series.ResultsConfidence scores for inferred climate impacts varied widely from 1 to 16 (very low to high confidence). Approximately 35% of analyses were not associated with clearly stated prior expectations and 65% of analyses did not test putative non-climate drivers of biological change. Among the highest-scoring studies, 91% tested prior expectations, 86% formulated expectations for alternative drivers but only 63% statistically tested them. Higher confidence scores observed in studies that did not detect a change or tracked multiple species suggest publication bias favouring impact studies that are consistent with climate change. The number of time series showing climate impacts was a poor predictor of average confidence scores for a given group, reinforcing that vote-counting methodology is not appropriate for determining overall confidence in inferences.Main conclusionsClimate impacts research is expected to attribute biological change to climate change with measurable confidence. Studies with long-term, high-resolution data, appropriate statistics and tests of alternative drivers earn higher C-index scores, suggesting these should be given greater weight in impact assessments. Together with our proposed framework, the results of our C-index analysis indicate how the science of detecting and attributing biological impacts to climate change can be strengthened through the use of evidence-based prior expectations and thorough statistical analyses, even when data are limited, maximizing the impact of the diverse and growing climate change ecology literature.

Kelp forests along temperate and polar coastlines represent some of most diverse and productive habitats on the Earth. Here, we synthesize information from >60 years of research on the structure and functioning of kelp forest habitats in European waters, with particular emphasis on the coasts of UK and Ireland, which represents an important biogeographic transition zone that is subjected to multiple threats and stressors. We collated existing data on kelp distribution and abundance and reanalyzed these data to describe the structure of kelp forests along a spatial gradient spanning more than 10° of latitude. We then examined ecological goods and services provided by kelp forests, including elevated secondary production, nutrient cycling, energy capture and flow, coastal defense, direct applications, and biodiversity repositories, before discussing current and future threats posed to kelp forests and identifying key knowledge gaps. Recent evidence unequivocally demonstrates that the structure of kelp forests in the NE Atlantic is changing in response to climate- and non-climate-related stressors, which will have major implications for the structure and functioning of coastal ecosystems. However, kelp-dominated habitats along much of the NE Atlantic coastline have been chronically understudied over recent decades in comparison with other regions such as Australasia and North America. The paucity of field-based research currently impedes our ability to conserve and manage these important ecosystems. Targeted observational and experimental research conducted over large spatial and temporal scales is urgently needed to address these knowledge gaps.