Kelp Forests - Scottish Natural Heritage
Kelp Forests - Scottish Natural Heritage Kelp Forests - Scottish Natural Heritage
Velvet crab and featherstars underneath kelp Starfish and sea anemones Sunstar, sponges and dead man’s fingers
20 Beyond the kelp zone In the dark, quiet areas below the kelp zone, plant domination of the sea bed gives way to animal domination. Several species of small red seaweeds and encrusting seaweeds can grow at greater depths than kelp, but even these eventually succumb to the decreasing light levels. However, the flick of a diver’s torch reveals an unsuspected world of dazzling colours and strange growth forms. Delicate, feathery hydroids and sea fans and elegant fan Sponge covered rock Carpet of jewel anemones worms grow among large erect sponges and sea squirts which attain sizes rarely seen in shallower water. Dense colonies of the brilliantly coloured jewel anemone form bright green and red patches on vertical surfaces, interspersed with the waving arms of feather stars. Many animals which are familiar from shallower waters also live at these depths, including starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins and dead man’s fingers. Lightbulb sea squirts Purple sandpiper
- Page 1 and 2: Kelp Forests: SCOTLAND’S LIVING L
- Page 3 and 4: Other books in the series: Coasts M
- Page 5 and 6: First published in 1999 by Scottish
- Page 7 and 8: Sea urchins grazing kelp frond
- Page 9 and 10: Kelp holdfast and stipe with feathe
- Page 11 and 12: Kelps occur at and below low-tide l
- Page 13 and 14: Dense cuvie forest
- Page 15 and 16: A second important function of both
- Page 17 and 18: Scottish kelp plants Five kelp spec
- Page 19 and 20: Light - the critical factor Light i
- Page 21 and 22: Oarweed forests Butterfish, fanworm
- Page 23 and 24: Also present on the kelp blades is
- Page 25 and 26: Cuvie forests At around 1m below lo
- Page 27: Descending deeper into the sea, the
- Page 31 and 32: Seals above the kelp forest canopy
- Page 33 and 34: Lumpsucker amongst cuvie stipes fes
- Page 35 and 36: In recent times several thousand to
- Page 37 and 38: Afterword The brown, sunlight-dappl
- Page 39: Also from SNH... Landscape Fashione
20<br />
Beyond the kelp zone<br />
In the dark, quiet areas below the kelp zone, plant<br />
domination of the sea bed gives way to animal domination.<br />
Several species of small red seaweeds and encrusting<br />
seaweeds can grow at greater depths than kelp, but even<br />
these eventually succumb to the decreasing light levels.<br />
However, the flick of a diver’s torch reveals an unsuspected<br />
world of dazzling colours and strange growth forms.<br />
Delicate, feathery hydroids and sea fans and elegant fan<br />
Sponge covered rock<br />
Carpet of jewel anemones<br />
worms grow among large erect sponges and sea squirts<br />
which attain sizes rarely seen in shallower water. Dense<br />
colonies of the brilliantly coloured jewel anemone form<br />
bright green and red patches on vertical surfaces,<br />
interspersed with the waving arms of feather stars. Many<br />
animals which are familiar from shallower waters also live at<br />
these depths, including starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins<br />
and dead man’s fingers.<br />
Lightbulb sea squirts<br />
Purple sandpiper
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