An extensive forest of kelp-like algae covering the summit of a seamount, in the southern Galapagos archipelago, was found by scientists from the Seamounts project, led by the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), in collaboration with the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and a multidisciplinary team of international researchers. This discovery could be a new kelp species record for the region and even for science.
Kelps are brown algae, famous for reaching very large sizes, and which, in high densities, form marine forests. Similar to coral reefs and mangroves, these forests are very important for the maintenance of marine biodiversity, as they offer protection and food to many species.
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As kelps are cold-water species, most of these forests are found exclusively in temperate or polar regions, and in shallow coastal areas, due to their permanent need for light. However, this kelp forest in the Galapagos Marine Reserve is located in a tropical region and is more than 50 meters deep.
Galapagos was the first place in the world where, in 1934, a species of tropical kelp, called Eisenia galapagensis. This endemic species was until recently the largest alga recorded in the archipelago. However, very little is known about its ecology or biology, since it has been rarely observed since the 1980s and has therefore been declared “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“It is the first time that such an extensive and dense kelp forest has been documented in this area of the Galapagos and at these depths. What we found seems very different from the species of algae Eisenia galapagensis, already known in this area. Since it is almost twice the size, we can think that it is possible that it is a different species and potentially new to the region.”says Salomé Buglass, CDF senior scientist and leader of the research.
Since conventional diving limits depth to 40 meters, CDF research teams rely on new technologies such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore, document and characterize deep-sea ecosystems such as these kelp forests. Thanks to the incorporation of a mechanical claw to the ROV, in 2018 researchers were able to collect specimens of this newly recorded algae, which is essential to determine its taxonomy and is still under study.
“Despite their enormous importance as ecosystem engineers and as a source of support for the fascinating marine life of the Galapagos Islands, Galapagos macroalgae are largely forgotten among the archipelago’s marine ecosystems.”, says María Altamirano, a researcher at the University of Malaga, a member of the research team and a collaborator in this project.
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He adds that “this discovery provides an opportunity to make visible the important ecosystem services offered by this group of organisms, as a habitat for other species and as carbon sequesterers in deep areas.”
Knowing that there are marine forests teeming with life that we didn’t know about, just 50 meters deep serves as a reminder of how little we know about deep-sea marine biodiversity, and how much remains to be explored, discovered, learned and protected, says Buglass. .
The scientists of this multidisciplinary investigation shed light on the ecological characteristics of this new ecosystem and describe this curious species of kelp in a recent scientific manuscript published in the journal Marine Biology on November 23, 2022. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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