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Helping kelp forests survive climate change

The 2009 SARDI Science Bursary recipient, Laura Falkenberg has taken South Australia’s ‘forests of the sea’ 50 years into the future to see how they cope with climate change.

Over the past two years, the University of Adelaide PhD student has created mini-environments for local algal communities mimicking the forecasted elevated carbon dioxide levels that are likely to hit the world by 2060.

“The kelp forests of South Australia’s rocky temperate coasts create habitat for many marine species and are highly productive,” she says.

“But the effects of rising carbon dioxide levels could have a devastating effect on the persistence of these kelp forests.”

“The importance of maintaining intact kelp forests was highlighted in my experiments which showed that healthy kelp canopies restricted the growth of turfs, even under elevated levels of carbon dioxide. Turfs are a pollutant which are forecast to affect marine systems worldwide. These turfs increased in the absence of kelp, particularly when carbon dioxide was manipulated to forecasted levels.”

Laura says that the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change forecasts that under a “business-as-usual” model scenario carbon dioxide levels will rise from 380 parts per million to 550 parts per million by around 2060.

“If that’s the case, then it’s imperative we understand how this will affect our algal communities, particularly those incorporating kelp, as it acts as a foundation species providing nursery grounds, habitat and food for many associated species.”

“Even now, without the additional stressor of elevated carbon dioxide, we are seeing areas of coralline crusts and the associated kelp forests being replaced by turf-forming algae which have a much simpler structure and do not provide the same benefits.”

Laura manipulated the levels of carbon dioxide and nutrients in twenty-four specially constructed mesocosms, or floating experimental tanks, housing kelp, corallines and turfs to monitor the effect on algal communities. They were located off North Haven.

The experiment is unique and follows Laura’s Honours research which investigated the impacts of acidification on marine algae (corallines and turfs) at a laboratory scale, the results of which have been published in the leading journal, Global Change Biology.

“I’m very excited,” says Laura. “Doing the lab work made me realise how much there is to be done in this field and how I can contribute. The next step was to go into the field, so that’s where I headed.”

The knowledge gained from Laura’s research will be used to help conserve algal communities and associated species which are of significant ecological and economic importance.

Laura used the SARDI Bursary to help with equipment costs. The SARDI Bursary commemorates South Australia’s Women’s Suffrage Centenary celebrated in 1994.