Fig 1.
Experimental patch reef array.
Clockwise from top left: a 7.68 m2 patch reef with transplanted kelp; a 7.68 m2 patch reef during construction; a 1.08 m2 patch reef with no transplanted kelp, and; an aerial photo of the grid formation of experimental patch reefs (yellow scale bar represents 25 m).
Fig 2.
Effects of Ecklonia radiata patch size and kelp density on sub-canopy abiotic factors.
(a) Water flow (expressed as dissolution of plaster clod-cards relative to the paired above-canopy clod-card); (b) irradiance levels (expressed as light relative to the paired above-canopy measurement, where mean ambient irradiance was 558 ± 26 μmol photon m-2 sec-1 , n = 112, ± SE); (c) sediment deposition (expressed as percentage of sediment deposition relative to the deposition recorded in a paired sediment trap above the canopy), and; (d) depth of accumulated sediments in turf-sediment matrices growing on the reef substratum (mm).
Table 1.
ANCOVA tests of effects of kelp density and patch size on abiotic factors below the Ecklonia radiata canopy.
Fig 3.
Differences in survivorship of transplanted juvenile Ecklonia radiata sporophytes with patch size, season, and kelp density.
Table 2.
ANCOVA tests (and one linear regression1) of effects of kelp density, patch size, and season on juvenile Ecklonia radiata.
Fig 4.
Growth rates of macroscopic juvenile Ecklonia radiata sporophytes.
Measurements taken 90 days after transplanting to (a) patches at normal kelp density (8.3 kelp/m2) across three seasons, and (b) patches of varying kelp density during spring. Note the different y-axis scale.
Fig 5.
Recruitment and survivorship of microscopic sporophytes on experimental patch reefs.
Mean number (± SE) of (a) naturally recruited microscopic Ecklonia radiata sporophytes, dependent on patch size and kelp density; and of (b) surviving microscopic sporophytes grown on slides 42 days after outplanting, dependent on patch size and kelp density. Note the different y-axis scales and, that recruitment at patch size 1.08 m2 (Fig b) was in the medium density treatment.
Fig 6.
Recruitment of macroscopic juvenile Ecklonia radiata sporophytes on different sized patch reefs at end of study.
Expressed as (a) absolute number of juveniles per patch and (b) density of recruits (no. individuals/m2). Tests were conducted using only density of recruits.