Nereocystis luetkeana (Bull Kelp)
Credit: Steve Lonhart
about the species
The bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, is a foundation large brown algae (kelp) found from Cambria in California to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. As one of the only two macroalga species that form a surface canopy in California, the bull kelp provides a three-dimensional forest structure for complex habitat niches. Due to their fast growth rate, the resulting forests have high productivity and play a key role in nutrient cycling in coastal marine ecosystems.
why species was selected
Recent declines in bull kelp forest density have caused concern in northern California. Researchers found a climate-driven catastrophic shift in 2014 from previously healthy kelp forests to unproductive large scale urchin barrens in northern California. The reduction in kelp canopy was estimated to be larger than 90% along more than 350 km of coastline.
