Main energy storage substances of kelp

Why is kelp a good source of energy?

We suspect this is the main route through which kelp-derived energy supports consumers for two reasons. First, kelps produce tremendous amounts of biomass each year (Adin and Riera 2003, Fredriksen 2003, Kang et al. 2008, Paar et al. 2019 ), most of which enters the detrital pool, rather than being grazed directly (Krumhansl and Scheibling 2012 ).

How does kelp production support consumers?

Perhaps the most intuitive pathway by which kelp production can support consumers is through direct grazing, where herbivorous taxa ingest fresh material, and then pass kelp-derived energy and nutrients through the food web when consumed by other fauna.

Did kelp absorb nutrients from deep water?

This revealed that the kelp successfully assimilated nutrients from the deeper water. “While the nitrogen and protein content demonstrated that the depth-cycled kelp were not nutrient deficient, it was also important to show that the nitrogen the kelp acquired was from deep water,” Kim said.

Is kelp detritus a good food source for consumers?

According to several studies (Duggins and Eckman 1997, Norderhaug et al. 2003, Krumhansl and Scheibling 2012, Pedersen et al. 2021), kelp detritus may be a good food source for consumers as its C:N ratios and phlorotannin concentrations decrease quickly due to microbial activity.

Can kelp be used as a biofuel?

As a bonus, kelp fits into the existing energy infrastructure. However, the limited nutrients in the photic zone (near the ocean’s surface) limits the growth of this seaweed, thus hampering the large-scale development of M. pyrifera as a biofuel.

Do kelps affect local seawater chemistry?

Furthermore, the contribution of kelps to dissolved organic, and inorganic nutrient pools can alter local seawater chemistry (Pfister et al. 2019) and may result in ‘kelp-like' POM δ 13 C values if phytoplankton taxa are recycling kelp-derived DIC (Miller and Page 2012 ).